We've spent this season on the podcast exploring the beauty of an excellent life. And our listener-heroes have some difficult questions about the process of daring to excel. You asked:
What role does FEAR play in advancing our best work?
Is the rise of entrepreneurship bringing with it a destructive rise of SELF-CENTEREDNESS?
How do you protect the INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY of your brand's frameworks?
Today, Jeffrey tackles the themes of fear, self-interest and intellectual property in the life of an entrepreneur. He explains how positive stressors can serve to deepen our insight and shares his process of inquiry when catastrophic thinking takes over. Jeffrey also reflects on the difference between self-interest and self-centeredness, discussing Adam Grant's research around balancing self- and other-interest to have the most significant impact. Finally, he offers several current examples of egregious self-interest AND robust other-interest, addressing what we can do as entrepreneurs to keep our egos in check. Listen in for insight around how Jeffrey protects his brand language and frameworks—and learn how to approach someone who seems to be appropriating your intellectual property.
[0:10] The three listener questions we're exploring in this episode
[2:58] The role of fear in advancing our best work
[11:20] Questions to consider when catastrophic thinking takes over
[14:47] The potential correlation between entrepreneurship and self-interest
[18:25] Adam Grant's research around impact and self-interest
[20:03] Jeffrey's examples of egregious self-interest
[26:08] Jeffrey's examples of robust other-interest
[28:36] What we can do as entrepreneurs to hold our egos in check
[30:26] How Jeffrey protects phrases like patch of the planet + brand artist
[35:58] How to protect our intellectual property as entrepreneurs
[38:12] What to consider before confronting someone for use of your IP
[40:18] How to approach someone who's appropriating your frameworks
[43:22] Jeffrey's top takeaways from this season of Tracking Wonder
[43:58] The advantage of slowing down in a rapidly changing world
Jeffrey's Column at Psychology Today
Job Stressors & Innovation Study
Barbara Fredrickson's Research on Positive Emotions
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
CNBC Story on Uber Under Travis Kalanick
Business Insider Story on Uber Driver Protests
Fyre Festival Settlement Story
Derek Thompson's Workism Article in The Atlantic
Pew Research Center Teen Survey on Fulfilling Work
The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell
Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship
Reasons to Be Cheerful Magazine