In her brand new book, Be Fearless, renowned philanthropist, investor, and technology pioneer Jean Case brings to life the five principles common to the people and organizations that change the world. This book is a call to action for those seeking to live extraordinary lives and bring about transformational change.
When National Geographic Chairman and founder of the Case Foundation, Jean Case, set out to investigate the core qualities of great change makers, past and present, from inventors to revolutionaries, she found five surprising traits all had in common. They weren’t wealth, privilege, or even genius. It was that all of these exceptional men and women chose to make a “big bet,” take bold risks, learn from their failures, reach beyond their bubbles, and let urgency conquer fear. Throughout Be Fearless, Jean vividly illustrates these principles through storytelling—from her own transformational life experiences, to Jane Goodall’s remarkable breakthroughs in understanding and protecting chimpanzees, to celebrity chef José Andrés’ decision to be a “first responder” and take his kitchen to the sites of devastating hurricanes to feed the hungry, to Bryan Stevenson’s ambitious efforts to end incarceration inequities, and more. She shares new insights to stories you might think you know—like AirBnB’s tale of starting from scratch to transform the hospitality industry, to John F. Kennedy’s history-making moonshot—and gems from change-makers you’ve never heard of.
Weaving together storytelling, practical tips and inspiration, Be Fearless will teach readers how to put the five fearless principles to work so that they too can spark the sorts of remarkable breakthroughs that change the world.
The 5 Principles needed to spark real transformational change are:
Make a big bet - So many people and organizations are naturally cautious. They look at what seemed to work in the past and try to do more of it, leading to only incremental advances Every truly history-making transformation has occurred when people have decided to go for revolutionary change.
Be bold, take risks - Have the guts to try new, unproven things and the rigour to continue experimenting. Risk taking is not a blind leap off a cliff, but a lengthy process of trial and error. You need to be willing to risk the next big idea, even if it means upsetting your own status quo.
Make failure matter - Great achievers view failure as a necessary part of advancing towards success. No-one seeks it out, but if you are trying new things the outcome is by definition uncertain.
Reach beyond your bubble - Innovation happens at intersections. Often the most original solutions come from engaging with people with diverse experiences to forge new and unexpected partnerships.
Let urgency conquer fear - Don’t overthink and overanalyze. Allow the compelling need tact outweigh all doubts and setbacks.
Author quotes
This book is a call to action for those who seek to live extraordinary lives - maybe that’s you.
A few years ago, we engaged a team of experts to determine the ‘secret sauce’ that propelled those rare leaders, organizations and movements to success. They discovered five principles that are constantly present when transformational breakthroughs take place. These five principles can be summarized in two words: Be Fearless.
Whether you are working at a startup, finding yourself at a personal crossroads, working as part of an established organization, or looking for inspiration to make a life-altering change, the Be Fearless principles can provide guidance on how to take that next step. And the moment to do so is now.
About the author
Jean Case, the first female Chairman of the National Geographic Society in its 130-year history and CEO of the Case Foundation, is a philanthropist, investor, and internet and impact investing pioneer who advocates for the importance of embracing a more fearless approach to innovate and bring about transformational breakthroughs. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before co-founding the Case Foundation in 1997. Before the Case Foundation, she was a senior executive at America Online, Inc. where she directed the marketing and branding that helped bring AOL to the masses. In addition, Jean currently serves on the boards of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), the White House Historical Association, and BrainScope Company, Inc., as well as on the advisory boards of the Brain Trust Accelerator Fund, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016 and has received honorary degrees from Indiana University and George Mason University. Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose is her first book.
Why LoA loves it….
Many people aspire to make change happen in the world and the lives of others, but often, those aspirations fail to materialize due to fear of failure, or fear of the unknown, or fear of the enormity of the challenges. In her new book, Be Fearless, Jean Case inspires by example, sharing the truly remarkable stories of extraordinary people who put fear aside and found their true change-making paths in life. This is a wonderful book for all those people who want to make a difference, but who need to see what is possible once fear is put aside and tenacity, passion and determination take its place. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa