Knowledge in a time of crisis
Big Think Live
Coronavirus coverage
Big Think Edge
Self-Motivation
David Goggins
Former Navy Seal
Career Development
Bryan Cranston
Actor
Critical Thinking
Liv Boeree
International Poker Champion
Emotional Intelligence
Amaryllis Fox
Former CIA Clandestine Operative
Management
Chris Hadfield
Retired Canadian Astronaut & Author
Learn
from the world's big
thinkers
Start Learning

The unexpected key to student engagement? Dignity.

What happens when someone you respect doesn't treat others with dignity?

  • Respect and dignity are sometimes conflated, but Cultures of Dignity founder Rosalind Wiseman argues that they are very different.
  • Dignity, according to Wiseman, is the essential and inextricable worth of a person. Respect is the admiration for someone's actions, which often involves how they treat others. The rub comes when people in positions of authority and respect (for example, our elders) behave in ways undeserving of that admiration but are seemingly above reprimanding.
  • "This is actually one of the biggest problems for young people in education," Wiseman says, adding that when that loss of respect and dignity hits home for students, they tend to disengage from learning. "If I could change something about education, it would be to have dignity be a bedrock of education and that everyone—the teachers, the parents, the students, the staff, everyone, the administrators—has to be treated with dignity."
Keep reading Show less
children education emotions future of learning leadership learning parenting psychology relationships teaching youth

Anthony Scaramucci: How entrepreneurs can manage fear in times of crisis

What's the worst thing that could happen, and can you live with that?

  • Anthony Scaramucci isn't afraid to admit his failures as an entrepreneur. The founder and managing partner of investment firm SkyBridge Capital says it's the journey that matters, and that being an entrepreneur means accepting that some things, including successes and failures, are out of your control.
  • A hard but necessary question that entrepreneurs have to ask themselves is if they can live with the worst case scenario.
  • In a time of crisis, Scaramucci's advice is to clear your mind, accept all possible outcomes, and to dial down fear-based instincts so that you focus on being aggressive in business.
Keep reading Show less
business emotion entrepreneur failure fear identity leadership mind personal growth self success

Lead your team toward collaborative problem solving

What does it mean to "lead without authority"?

In this Big Think Live session with Keith Ferrazzi, moderated by Bob Kulhan, Ferrazzi will dive into management and leadership methods, explaining what it means to "lead without authority."

Keep reading Show less
business teamwork collaboration problem solving personal growth success work learning education leadership

What are complex adaptive systems?

You're probably already in a complex adaptive system. You may as well learn how to be effective in one.

Photo: Getty Images
  • Organizations aren't just organizations—they're complex adaptive systems. Thinking of them this way, says Nathan Rosenberg, founding partner of management consulting firm Insigniam, can give your organization a competitive advantage.
  • In complex adaptive systems, there is no cause and effect. Rules, or laws, have no causal efficacy. The system is constantly changing and adapting. But patterns in behaviors and relationships do begin to emerge.
  • You cannot control a complex adaptive system but you can influence it. You're an independent agent in the system and your choices make a difference.

business leadership work

How accountability at work can transform your organization

If you don't practice accountability at work you're letting the formula for success slip right through your hands.

  • What is accountability? It's a tool for improving performance and, once its potential is thoroughly understood, it can be leveraged at scale in any team or organization.
  • In this lesson for leaders, managers, and individuals, Shideh Sedgh Bina, a founding partner of Insigniam and the editor-in-chief of IQ Insigniam Quarterly, explains why it is so crucial to success.
  • Learn to recognize the mindset of accountable versus unaccountable people, then use Shideh's guided exercise as a template for your next post-project accountability analysis—whether that project was a success or it fell short, it's equally important to do the reckoning.
work success personal growth business leadership failure
Quantcast