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Built for leaders at every level
Innovation is the key to progress and to growing your organization’s relevance and success. And the main ingredient for innovation is creativity. In this class, Natalie Nixon, founder of Figure 8 Thinking, discusses her 3i Creativity Model, a framework you can use to spark your own creativity and maximize the creative capacity of your organization.
IQ and emotional intelligence used to be all the rage, but collaboration consultant Erica Dhawan believes that connectional intelligence (CxQ) is a vital capability for success in the 21st century.
If your job involves selling something for a living, you already know the importance of making customers feel listened to and cared for. So why up the ante and engage in what restaurateur Will Guidara calls “unreasonable hospitality”? Because being relentless in making others feel valued might be your best competitive advantage – especially in a business landscape stuffed with competitors constantly offering the latest and greatest version of your product or service. Luckily, being “unreasonable” doesn’t have to be draining; it can be creative, generative, and even systematizable.
What lights you up? What gives you goosebumps? What sparks your tears of joy? Questions like these evoke our sense of wonder, and Monica Parker believes they’re essential to building the resilience and connection needed to make sense of a complex world. This is because wonder is beautifully multi-faceted – it can both deepen the meaning we find in our personal lives and become the connective tissue that fosters a sense of collegial belonging and empathy. The best news? We can start seeking (and finding) it right now.
Generative AI is everywhere. And everyone, it seems, has a strong opinion about what it means for humanity. This can leave workers wondering: Should we be worried or excited? Cautious or bold? Transparent about our use or secretive?
But Ethan Mollick thinks we should consider starting with different questions. Like: What does AI actually do? And what can we do with it? By experimenting with the latest large language models, we’ll be better positioned to supercharge our skills – and in the process, form an ethical, empowering partnership with AI.
Calls to “think critically,” to “not believe everything you hear,” and to “do your research” are thrown about regularly in society. And while the advice is important, how exactly to follow it can feel unclear. Enter philosophical legend, Daniel Dennett. Wielding the tools of philosophy and cognitive science, he brings time-tested techniques to bear on modern-day conundrums. In an era dominated by claims of “fake news” and as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to complicate our perception of consciousness, Dennett shines a light on the power of inquiry to rigorously test arguments and the collective pleasure of “getting at” the truth.
Unnecessary meetings, micromanagement, overly complex procedures — these are a few common examples of the phenomenon Bob Sutton calls workplace “friction.” And while friction can feel inevitable, regularly slowing us down and causing frustration, he argues that it doesn’t have to be that way. By eliminating pointless barriers, we can streamline work, sharpen decision-making, and fuel creativity.
What is “strategic thinking”? In a nutshell, Michael Watkins’ research suggests that “it means looking beyond the present situation and thinking critically and creatively about the many potential futures.” Sounds great in theory. But how do you actually do it? Watkins has an answer for that, too. He breaks his overarching, forward-looking mindset into six specific disciplines you can practice to build your strategic thinking intentionally and holistically.