Jenny Wood, author of Wild Courage and former Google executive, shares her inspiring journey towards embracing courage. She discusses how fear can lead creative individuals to settle for mediocrity and the crucial moments that ignite transformational change. Jenny introduces her concept of 'wild courage,' encouraging action despite fear. She emphasizes relationship-building through empathy with her 'woo with you' approach and tackles imposter syndrome, urging listeners to embrace their strengths and take bold steps toward their aspirations.
Individuals often fall into mediocrity through small, fear-driven choices that lead to complacency in their careers.
Embracing 'wild courage' enables individuals to act despite fears, fostering significant personal and professional growth through initiative.
Deep dives
The Impact of Mediocrity on Career Aspirations
Many individuals start their careers with high hopes and aspirations, yet they often find themselves settling for mediocrity over time. This shift can happen gradually, as small, seemingly inconsequential choices lead to a state of complacency. While external circumstances like economic conditions can influence this stagnation, personal accountability plays a crucial role in the choices made. The realization that many who appear successful may internally recognize their own settling highlights the subjective nature of mediocrity and the need for intentionality in career progress.
Embracing Wild Courage to Overcome Fear
Wild courage is described as the ability to act despite fears of failure, judgment, and uncertainty, which often hold individuals back from pursuing their ambitions. A turning point in the discussion is a personal story from Jenny Wood, who advocated for embracing courage following a pivotal moment on the subway, leading her to approach someone she found attractive. This principle underscores the importance of taking initiative in both personal and professional spheres, recognizing that acknowledging fear is not a barrier but an invitation to overcome. By applying wild courage to various aspects of life, individuals can break free from the constraints imposed by their fears.
The Healthy Manipulation of Relationships
A key insight shared is the concept of 'healthy manipulation,' which involves influence rooted in empathy and the desire to build meaningful relationships. Jenny Wood illustrates this through practical advice, such as framing communication to focus on the other person's interests rather than one's own needs. By cultivating an approach that emphasizes mutual benefit, individuals can foster deeper connections and navigate professional landscapes more effectively. This perspective encourages a shift in mindset, urging people to engage confidently while prioritizing the value they create for others.
In this episode of Daily Creative we are joined by Jenny Wood, author of Wild Courage and former executive at Google. We delve into the concept of mediocrity and how many bright creatives can inadvertently settle for less due to fear and external pressures. Jenny shares her transformative subway moment that led her to embrace "wild courage" and how she has applied this principle to various aspects of her life and work. We discuss the importance of taking action despite fears, and Jenny introduces us to her unique approach to courage, highlighting traits such as being "healthily manipulative" to enhance influence and success.
Jenny also explains the idea of "woo with you," a technique to build relationships through empathy and valuing others, while staying rooted in ethical practices. We explore how courage isn't about eliminating fear, but progressing despite it, focusing on subtle yet determined actions that lead to significant change. Jenny emphasizes rejecting imposter syndrome and owning one's strengths proudly. Her book, Wild Courage, encourages readers to pursue their goals with deliberate, courageous steps that defy conventional expectations.
Key learnings from this episode:
Mediocrity often happens in small increments of settling, driven by fear disguised as wisdom.
Wild courage involves taking calculated risks and acting even when fear is present.
Influence can be cultivated through empathy and valuing others, embracing a mindset of healthy manipulation.