The Cross Pollination of Ideas with David Burkus

This is a touchy subject. As thought leaders and entrepreneurs, your ideas are precious. They are what make you unique, and give you the edge over your competition. The last thing you want is for your team members to leave and take your ideas to your competition. Or is it? Today’s guest, David Burkus, has written a book that challenges this commonly held fear. In Under New Management, he explains how the cross pollination of ideas is what propagates real growth and change in an industry. He also thinks that ideas are mostly meaningless. What matters is the ability to execute them. Plus: Commonalities among successful entrepreneurs, based on David’s research in social sciences How your employees are more motivated and willing to bring their creativity to work when there aren’t restrictive NDAs and non-competes The real life, Silicon Valley example of how an industry benefits from open doors for employees and sharing of ideas If you’re a forward-thinker who believes that collaboration is more meaningful than competition, you don’t want to miss this episode. KEY POINTS: At 3:00 – David explains what his new book, Under New Management, is really about. He offers a unique perspective on knowing what entrepreneurs do to be successful, using social science. At 6:00 – David discusses some of the common things he sees among entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses At 9:00 – Danny and David discuss how NDA’s, non-disclosure agreements, are often abused. As a result, entire industries are stunted, and employees are less motivated to bring creative thought and originality to their work.  At 13:00 – David explains how the lack of ownership of your own work can affect your company’s success, and why it’s okay for people to sidestep from one organization to another freely. At 20:00 – Danny and David discuss Mirasee as a case study for problems with implementing the changes David recommends, and how other companies can approach it.