Photo Courtesy of HellaBella.
In this special series, we’ll take a brief look at various fearless inspirations from the past week or so. Whether it’s a fearless young changemaker who is taking risks, a new publication that expresses bold and innovative ideas, or an organization that is promoting change and that is not afraid to fail forward—we want to shine a spotlight on them and their work in the hope that it will spark a new movement to #BeFearless.
As Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, wrote in a recent thought piece, “The old way of doing things is simply no longer effective in this new world. It’s time for us all to take risks on new ideas, approaches, and initiatives. It’s time for us to be bold, to act with urgency, and to resist the tendency to let caution be our guide. It’s time for us to Be Fearless.” Will you join us?
Seth Godin on “Organized Bravery”
A particularly poignant excerpt from Seth Godin on being fearless within one’s organization:
The purpose of the modern organization is to make it easy and natural and expected for people to take risks. To lean out of the boat. To be human.
Alas, most organizations do the opposite. They institutionalize organized cowardice. They give their people cover, a place to hide, a chance to say, “that’s not my job.”
Our organizations are filled with people not only eager to dehumanize those that they serve, but apparently, instructed to do so. In the name of shareholder value or team play or not rocking the boat...
During times of change, the only organizations that thrive are those that are eager to interact and change as well. And that only happens when individuals take brave steps forward.
Giving your team cover for their cowardice is foolish. Give them a platform for bravery instead.
Google Glasses
They look like they come from some sci-fi movie that is set 50 years in the future… but they are here today and—in a few years—may soon become part of our daily lives. Rusty Blazenhoff, of Laughing Squid recently reported on Google’s announcement of Project Glass, “a technology-in-development that will allow users to wear Android-based display glasses to stream information right in front of their eyes.”
This bold, forward thinking and risk-taking technology will apparently integrate many different Google functions and tools such as Google Goggles, Google Maps, Hangouts and more (as inferred from their promotional video). Google is now asking those interested in the technology to share their thoughts in the hopes that they can build a better product.