1. Seven leadership lessons men can learn from women
In an ideal world, getting into a leadership position would require the same qualities as actually being a good leader. We all know this isn’t the case, otherwise we wouldn’t have that many male leaders. Large quantitative studies, including meta-analyses, indicate that gender differences in leadership talent are either nonexistent, or they actually favor women. So how about some lessons in effective leadership behaviors more commonly found in women? For starters: Stop leaning in. Read it now.
2. How Falling Behind Can Get You Ahead
David Epstein’s «Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World» was one of the books that inspired me last year. Since then, there has hardly been a week that I haven’t been reminded of it. If you don’t want to read the entire book, there’s now a TEDx talk in which Epstein walks you through one of his key arguments. Watch it now.
3. The Worst Days of the Coronavirus Pandemic So Far
This is an interesting way to present and frame Covid-19 data: When did countries have their worst day, in terms of Covid-19 deaths? It does two things: It humanizes the data, by focusing on the effect (worst day) rather than the cause (highest numbers). And it provides clues to the question everyone has: Is the worst over yet? See it and read more about it here.
4. Keep the Parks Open
Even as we need to practice physical distancing – in fact, because we need to practice physical distancing – public parks should be kept open, Zeynep Tufekci argues in The Atlantic. Read it now.
5. What Is the Geometry of the Universe?
Some of my favourite stories are those that answer questions I didn’t even know one could ask. Fairly heavy stuff here, but with nice, very helpful illustrations. So next time you need a conversation starter that has nothing to do with coronavirus whatsoever, try this: «Just as life in the two-dimensional torus was like living in an infinite two-dimensional array of identical rectangular rooms, life in the three-dimensional torus is like living in an infinite three-dimensional array of identical cubic rooms. You’ll see infinitely many copies of yourself.». Read it now.
What else?
Slightly mind blowing: Carbon emissions in the US are expected to fall by 7.5% in 2020, largely due to coronavirus lockdowns. That is almost the percentage global emissions need to fall by every year this decade if we want to keep global warming below +1.5 degrees. As climate journalist Akshat Rathi writes: «This is not how the goals were to be met. But it exposes the sheer scale of the challenge.»
Now everyone is talking about contact tracing apps. How do they work and how can they protect your privacy? An excellent illustrated explainer.