Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy over the weekend.
In the Paris Review, Benjamin Ehrlich writes about neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal and his early and fervent predilection for reading fiction. Cajal’s father earned a medical degree after a “grueling life” as the son of peasant farmers. He later despised all literary culture, allowing only medical books in the house. Cajal, however, had other ideas. How did reading fiction shape the mind of “the father of modern neuroscience”?
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By turns hilarious and heart-breaking, George Saunders’ short stories satirize the absurdities of every-day life and humanize even the strangest of characters. His story “Puppy” appears in his collection Tenth of December, winner of the 2013 Story Prize and a finalist for a National Book Award. In classic Saunders style, “Puppy” portrays a single situation – the purchase of a puppy – from the perspectives of multiple characters. As you read, think about the power of first impressions. What spurs us to judge others?
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Forbes outline nine leadership lessons about workplace diversity and inclusion that we can learn from this year’s top-grossing Oscar nominee “Hidden Figures.” One tip from the movie that leaders can put into action? Removing obstacles for your workers:
“After realizing that Katherine Goble (played by Taraji P. Henson) had to spend half an hour walking across Langley each time she needed to use the bathroom, Al Harrison (played by Kevin Costner) uses a crowbar to smash down the sign that identifies the only bathroom at Langley reserved for women of color. In so doing, he effectively removes a significant obstacle to make Goble’s work easier. And, as is often the case, by identifying and fixing the problem for one person, he removed an obstacle that was impacting a large number of talented people.”
What other obstacles can we remove to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace?
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Writing for the Harvard Business Review Amber Lee Williams addresses why it’s important to speak up when we witness instances of bias in the workplace: “Failure to acknowledge and address bias or offensive behavior validates the conduct and may create an impression that the behavior is acceptable, and even to be expected, in the workplace. Moreover, normalizing offensive conduct in this subtle manner tends to have a chilling effect on other potential dissenters, and communicates to those who are offended, regardless of whether they are targets of the behavior, that their perspectives and voices are not valued.”
Williams offers advice for how to speak up most effectively, and emphasizes that we should “create the opportunity for dialogue.” How do you foster dialogue at work?
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In a recent article for the Harvard Business Review, David Maxfield demonstrates that in cultures of silence, employees are less likely to speak up about a range of problems – including strategic missteps and rude or abusive behaviors from colleagues and management alike. How can we overcome cultures of silence and encourage people to voice their concerns?
Learn more about cultures of silence and psychological safety in this month’s Weekend Reading – and find articles on meaning and work, untold stories, sympathy and engagement, among other topics.
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A decade’s worth of research has shown that reading – especially reading strong, compelling narratives – can help us empathize with others. Pair a recent Wall Street Journal article, which surveys this research, with Professor Emily VanDette’s blog post on how reading and discussion are a perfect recipe for bridging cultural divides. Both are good arguments for expanding your reading list (and your discussion group). You’ll also find a short documentary about an Afghan village’s first school for girls, works of Chinese science fiction and information about a new Cleveland-area support service for Veterans in this edition of Weekend Reading.
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The Pew Research Center recently released new information about the American job market. One key finding is that both employment and wages have risen the most in fields requiring analytical and social skills: “While employment grew by 50% over all occupations from 1980 to 2015 [. . .] growth was much higher among jobs that require average or above average social skills (83%), such as interpersonal, management and communications skills, and those that require higher levels of analytical skills (77%), such as as critical thinking and computer skills.” Read the whole report, or learn more about empathy, diversity and leadership in our link roundup.
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The headline is stark: Americans are increasingly unlikely to read literature. So found the National Endowment for the Arts in its recently released Annual Arts Basic Survey (AABS). Measuring the ways adult Americans interact with and engage in the arts – from reading a book to playing an instrument to attending a performance – this year’s survey shows that only 43% of Americans read “novels, short stories, or plays not required for work or school.” Although the NEA’s research excludes narrative non-fiction and newer storytelling genres like blog posts and podcasts, the research suggests that reading rigorous literature may shrink away to nothing, with fewer and fewer Americans taking the time to explore the magic of literary worlds. But the NEA’s numbers are particularly striking as they break down along gender, race and educational lines.
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The current issue of Harvard Business Review (July/August 2016) contains several articles explaining the reasons why workplace diversity programs simply don’t work. “Diversity training programs largely don’t change attitudes, let alone behavior,” writes Iris Bohnet, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-chair of its Behavioral Insights Group. “Start by accepting that our minds are stubborn beasts,” she explains. “It’s hard to eliminate our biases, but we can design organizations that make it easier for our biased minds to get things right.”
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