When You Feel Envy, Turn It Into Something Productive
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Allison beard. I'm Adi Ignatius and this is the HBR Idea Cast. Today we're going to be talking about envy. All right, that sounds like something that is not good for an organization. In some ways, you're right, but I'm gonna ask you to be a little more open-minded because actually envy in the workplace isn't all bad. Ooh, you sound like one of those hard charging bosses who pits everyone against each other to increase performance. Some people do do that, but no, this isn't what I'm talking about. Our guest today is making a more subtle argument.
She is a researcher who says that envy can give us clues as to what we really want and value and where we might want to direct our energy, whether that's a more senior colleague that you admire. or a competitor's company that you can learn from. So instead of being petty or toxic, NB can be a good thing for our careers and our organizations if it's leveraged the right way. That sounds like a really tricky emotional balance to get just right. Yes, she acknowledges that envy can play out in negative ways, and we'll talk through that, but more importantly, she's gonna explain how to turn these feelings into something productive for yourself and your team. Stacey Kim wrote the book Envy, why wanting what they have is the key to getting what you want.
Here's our conversation. I think that a lot of us are taught to see Envy as a sort of a negative, toxic thing. that we should avoid both because we want to be good people, but also for our own mental health. You know, it's the green eyed monster. It's one of the seven deadly sins. Why do you have a different perspective on Envy?
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