If we’re being honest, we spent a lot of this year binge-watching television shows (Tiger King, anyone?). And while we resorted to Netflix a lot, that’s not all we watched. It seemed like every time we opened our inbox a new webinar, talk or video was available, so that’s where our attention turned to. In a time of being physically distant from people, these were a great way to keep learning. Even with Zoom fatigue, we found plenty of videos that kept our attention and sparked our curiosity.
Here’s a look at our top five webinars and videos from 2020:
1Can Beauty Open Our Hearts to Difficult Conversations? with Titus Kaphar — TED2020
Why we love it: Titus Kaphar’s artwork is stunning and powerful as he dismantles and reconstructs art history to include Black people. Kaphar’s work includes “The Jerome Project”, which draws on religious icons to examine the US criminal justice system. We love how Kaphar talks about how beauty allows difficult conversations to sneak up on us — cracking our hearts open. Or how the unexpected in art can spark our curiosity to face the things that challenge us. “The things that must be said are not always lovely. But somehow, if they’re reflective of truth, fundamentally that makes them beautiful.”
2Empathy Concert & Perspectives: June 5th Broadcast with Elliott Masie & Telly Leung — MASIE Talks
Why we love it: Above and beyond hearing the absolutely beautiful performances from a variety of different musicians and vocalists, it was a gift to hear Pamay Bassey, chief learning officer of the Kraft Heinz Company, speak about empathy in the workplace. Pamay talks about the power of continuous learning and empathy in these tumultuous times. We need to remember and acknowledge the humanity of everyone in an organization.
3Keeping It Real and Making It Happen: A Microsoft Leadership Training Case Study with Andrea Wanerstand and Michael Bungay Stanier — Training Industry
Why we love it: We love the transparency between Wanerstrand and Bungay Stanier as they discuss the simplicity of The Coaching Habit and Box of Crayons’ programs. Undergoing large cultural transformations needs to be about truly serving the employees and their experiences, not simply offering shiny new initiatives. In a time of working through uncertainty and stress, programs need to be authentic and simple. From there, an organization is more likely to embed an end-to-end experience that actually works to change behaviour.
4How to Lead in a Crisis with Dr. Amy Edmondson — TED: The Way We Work
Why we love it: Dr. Edmondson gets right to the point in this short yet powerful video tackling the test every single leader faced in 2020. And it would be foolish to assume that uncertainty and upheavals will be a thing of the past once this pandemic is over. In an increasingly volatile world, psychologically safe, emotionally intelligent and values-led leadership matters greatly. “We follow this new kind of leader through upheaval because we have confidence, not in their map but in their compass.”
5Unconscious Bias Is Impacting Your Organizational Performance, Whether You Know It or Not with Pamela Fuller — Training Magazine Network
Why we love it: Diversity, equity and inclusion was a priority for us in 2020, as it (rightly) was for so many organizations. And that work continues going forward. Fuller’s webinar offers helpful insight into how unconscious bias is formed, how it impacts organizational performance and how to confront it. We especially love the role of curiosity in challenging bias. Fuller offers the “Bias Progress Model”: moving from introspection (identifying bias) into empathy and curiosity (cultivating connection) and finally change (choosing courage). Embrace the hard work in your life and organization!
Which webinars, videos or talks were especially inspiring and useful to you in 2020? We’d love to know. Share below~