THNK’s Top Articles of 2021
Article by:
Andrew Dion
We are looking forward by looking back with THNK’s top articles of 2021 as we prepare to move into the new year with fresh new ideas. 2021 represented a difficult challenge for many organizations, but we approached these trials as new challenges to overcome and took away original concepts and learnings from the experience
Join THNK with this curated journey through what we felt were our best ideas and stories from 2021.
6. 7 CHANGEMAKERS TO WATCH IN 2021
“From climate action to sustainable fashion to impact finance, here are a few members of the THNK Community who are moving people and planet towards better futures.”
Previously, we stopped to look at a few individuals we thought would be some of the most interesting changemakers to watch out for during the coming year. Now is the perfect opportunity to see where those creative leaders were, and check in where they are now one year later.
What might be some of the lessons we can take from these leaders? How did their initiatives succeed? How did they react to setbacks? All interesting questions explored throughout the piece.
5. WHY INTERPERSONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS MATTER & HOW TO IMPROVE
“Today’s leaders need strong interpersonal leadership skills – like communication, emotional intelligence, and people management – if they want to lead more effectively.”
Interpersonal leadership skills like communication, conflict management and empathy may be difficult to measure. However, that does not mean they are any less important for a creative leader. Being able to inspire, listen and coach are skills which leaders will need to call on no matter their position or field.
Creative leadership is a journey of constant improvement, and revisiting your interpersonal leadership skills will only become more and more important as you grow as a leader.
4. 5 TIPS FOR MANAGING CONFLICT AT WORK
“It’s no secret that many people dislike and avoid conflict. This is especially true for dealing with conflict at work. However, by applying specific strategies to conflict management, we can strengthen our working relationships and find better outcomes that meet the needs of both parties.”
Speaking of interpersonal skills, conflict is inevitable in the workplace, and as a leader people will look to you to find ways to resolve those conflicts.
Rediscover how conflicts are not just simple disagreements, and instead they come from viewing another person or group as an obstacle. With this framework, consider again how we can transform conflicts into new perspectives and ideas instead of just resolving them.
3. FIVE BOOKS EVERY CREATIVE LEADER SHOULD READ
“Creative leaders are lifelong learners. These curious characters are constantly asking questions and seeking new sources of inspiration. They immerse themselves in art, develop new skills both in and outside of their areas of expertise, all the while keeping an eye open for chance opportunities.”
At THNK, we discovered that our community members are passionate about continuously pushing themselves to explore new knowledge and skills. We are honored to offer a platform where creative leaders can come together to share and exchange their perspectives and ideas.
With this in mind, we shared a small collection of books our community members could recommend to other leaders regarding a variety of topics from social entrepreneurship, how to build empathy and scaling to achieve more with less, to name a few.
2. 4 INGREDIENTS TO BUILD A CULTURE OF DISSENT
“In creative settings where the stakes are high, it is imperative to stimulate debate and criticism to improve the quality of ideas. Dissenting for the sake of dissenting is not useful, but when it is authentic, it stimulates thought. Everyone with a critical opinion should always speak up. Dissenting opinions are useful even when they are wrong, as they clarify and embolden everyone’s thinking.”
At first, dissent may appear to be a disruptive attitude that can cause teams to become less cohesive. In reality, dissent is healthy and necessary to find new perspectives and challenge existing practices and opinions.
Practice four distinct skills and exercises inspired by late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to develop productive dissenting attitudes in the workplace.
1. PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION, BUILD RESILIENCE, AND SET BOUNDARIES: WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN IN 2021?
“As someone who works on women’s rights, people often ask me what they can do to support the movement. We’re awake – and angry – and anxious for change. Women already do so much, we don’t need to take on this additional burden as well. I tell people – EVERYONE – to start where they stand, to channel their energy into action in the spaces they occupy – at home, at work, with their families. This isn’t just for women – it’s for all of us.
THNK chose this piece as our Top article of 2021 as part of our mission to support women and especially woman leaders in their work and lives.
At THNK, we saw that women continued to make great strides this past year towards gender equity. However, we also aware that as leaders we still have a long way to go creating a better, more equitable society.
To help do our part we spoke with various women leaders to gain their perspectives on what women can do to support their own health and well-being, succeed both personally and professionally and do their best to make their work and world a better place for other women.
A New Year at THNK!
Thank you for joining us on this journey through THNK’s top articles of 2021, and we are excited for everything we know we will learn and explore this coming year. If you would like to join us on this journey of discovery consider following us on LinkedIn or Instagram and signing up for our newsletter below.
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THNK is a purpose-driven social enterprise, creating experiential and transformative leadership programs to develop creative leaders capable of delivering innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.
We have leadership programs for three career levels.