Margaret Heffernan Books
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, and author known for her work on leadership, innovation, and organizational behavior. She has led several media companies and written extensively on how human behavior shapes business and society.
Known for: A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition, Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
Books by Margaret Heffernan
A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition
In 'A Bigger Prize', Margaret Heffernan explores how the obsession with competition undermines creativity, collaboration, and long-term success. Drawing on research from psychology, economics, and org...
Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
In 'Willful Blindness', Margaret Heffernan explores the psychological, social, and organizational reasons why individuals and institutions often ignore critical information that could prevent disaster...
Key Insights from Margaret Heffernan
Historical Context: The Rise of Competitive Ideologies
To understand why competition became so deeply ingrained in our psyche, we must trace its roots. The modern obsession with rivalry didn’t materialize overnight. It’s the product of centuries of economic and cultural conditioning. Much of it stems from the triumph of free-market ideology: Adam Smith’...
From A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition
The Psychology of Competition
Competition doesn’t just shape our systems—it shapes our minds. Psychological research shows that rivalry triggers stress responses similar to threat detection. Our focus narrows, empathy diminishes, and creativity declines. In competitive settings, people tend to take fewer risks, fearing that fail...
From A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition
The Psychological Foundations of Blindness
Human beings are not built to live in a constant state of uncertainty. Our minds crave coherence and emotional safety. When new information threatens our sense of identity or belonging, a quiet defense mechanism awakens: we simply do not see what unsettles us. This blindness is not the absence of in...
From Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
The Role of Obedience and Conformity
We like to think of ourselves as independent thinkers, but history—and daily experience—suggests otherwise. The inclination to conform has deep evolutionary roots: belonging once meant survival. Social harmony is still prized over confrontation, even when the harmony conceals harm. I delve into this...
From Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
About Margaret Heffernan
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, and author known for her work on leadership, innovation, and organizational behavior. She has led several media companies and written extensively on how human behavior shapes business and society.
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Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, and author known for her work on leadership, innovation, and organizational behavior. She has led several media companies and written extensively on how human behavior shapes business and society.
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