Published in Super8 -

Super8: Eight intriguing articles from October.

Curated by Sarah El-Atm, this month we’ve collated a range of informative and thought-provoking articles and podcasts to keep us on the pulse.

We explore interactive learning tools, how technology impacts the rule of law, and debunk common misconceptions about vulnerability.

So, buckle up and get ready Super8’ers. This month is filled with tips, tricks, and learning of all kinds. Welcome to Super8 in October.

1. Why do so many incompetent men become leaders? And what can we do about it?

 

  • Read the full article here.
  • Article by: Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.
  • Contributed by: Claire Grainger.

We’re kicking off this month’s Super8 with a bit of a controversial headline. When I first saw Claire share this article with the team, I wondered why she thought it was so great. Then I read the piece.

Tomas is an organisational psychologist. He uses science and technology to predict and understand human behaviour in the workplace. He’s especially interested in that unique place where gender, personality, and leadership shape our choices of leaders…and then how those leaders impact organisations.

Read this article for a different perspective on leadership and what you can do, regardless of your role in an organisation, to help foster better leadership.

2. Interactive learning tools for front-end developers.

 

  • Read the full article here.
  • Article by: Louis Lazaris.
  • Contributed by: Claire Grainger.

In a rapidly evolving industry, front-end developers are always learning new skills. We also know that regardless of discipline, we often learn better through application. And what better way to learn new coding skills than through playing games.

Here, Louis Lazaris has collated a list of interactive tools and games to help you learn CSS, JavaScript, SQL, React, Vim, Jamstack, and many more programs.

So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring your curiosity and broadening your coding knowledge through these games.

 

3. Localisation is the new globalisation.

  • Read the full article here.
  • Article by: Tom Seymour.
  • Contributed by: Rachel Antoniadou.

In response to a range of disruptors, including COVID-19, many companies are faced with territorial disputes surrounding taxation, trade, industry regulation, and supply chains. It’s observed that there is a significant shift in value from tangible to intangible assets and how localisation has been favoured over globalisation in recent years.

However, post-COVID-19, it’s predicted that countries will return their focus to promoting economic growth and readopt globalisation as a means to prosperity.

Tom Seymour and Richard Oldfield help broaden our understanding of the geopolitically charged landscape we are operating within as they examine the current marketplace and predict future trends.

 

4. What if performance advertising is just an analytics scam?

Have you ever scrolled through social media or the world wide web only to be greeted by an advertisement about the notebook products you just searched the internet for? What about questioning if your performance marketing efforts are really leading to more sales?

In this article, Rand Fishkin challenges the messaging we receive from ad networks like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, and highlights the demand they’re capitalising on—not creating.

From predicting your needs to your buying behaviours, this piece is filled with insightful anecdotes and real-world examples of performance marketing.

 

5. Taken for Granted: Mellody Hobson on taking tough feedback?

  • Listen to the Podcast here. 
  • Podcast by: Adam Grant and Mellody Hobson.
  • Contributed by: Bridget Noonan.

We all have, or will, receive criticism at some point in our life. We might not like it, but as Mellody Hobson highlights in this podcast, it’s what we choose to do with the feedback that really matters.

“You can listen to somebody as criticism and say it, It doesn’t matter whether they’re right or wrong. The question is what did I do that provoked that reaction? And then what can I do differently to avoid it next time?”

Here, Adam Grant and Mellody Hobson discuss Hobson’s gift for finding the diamond in the rough.

Throughout the episode, they unpack how to look for the grain of truth in any critique and understand when to discount feedback. Hobson also speaks about the impact our immediate reaction has on the person giving the feedback and how it may influence their future behaviour.

6. The 4 stages of psychological safety.

  • Read the book here. 
  • Article by: Timothy Clark.
  • Contributed by: Kurt Smith.

People flourish when they’re participating in a cooperative system with high psychological safety.

You’ll find richer connections, a sense of belonging and if established right, you might even find vulnerability.

‘The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety’ by Timothy Clark has made our list of ‘must-reads’. And if you want to foster inclusion, experiments, burstiness and more—we think it should be on your ‘must reads’ too.

7. Taken for Granted: Brene Brown on what vulnerability isn’t. 

  • Listen to the Podcast here. 
  • Podcast by: Adam Grant and Brene Brown.
  • Contributed by: Daniel Banik.

In this podcast, Brene Brown and Adam Grant encourage us to take off our invisible armour and explore the power that comes with vulnerability.

They encourage us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. To take a risk, and to understand what vulnerability is and isn’t.

“We are raised to believe it’s important to be brave, but then we’re taught not to be vulnerable.”

So, we’ll let you explore this Ted talk and if you find yourself an Adam Grant (or Brene Brown!) fan after this edition of Super8, we don’t blame you.

8. Open Law: how technology impacts the rule of law with Michael Green SC. 

Here, Andrea Perry-Petersen and Michael Green discuss Open Law and how we can harness technology to make information more accessible.

They consider the importance of libraries, both psychically and in the online world, and the issues of copyright due to digitisation.

If you want to gain a richer understanding of how technologies, such as AI and predictive analysis, are impacting legal processes and the ownership of information, pop your headphones on and enjoy.