Many topics were on leaders’ minds this year, but several stood out from the rest. Accountability, psychological safety, learning and development, and understanding leadership all captured people’s attention in 2024.
Below, we’ve collected the 10 most popular articles on the Your Brain at Work blog this year. They reflect the most pressing issues within organizations in terms of what leaders expect from their teams and how those teams can adapt to rapid change in an increasingly uncertain world.
1. Psychological Safety and Accountability: Three Insights From NLI’s Conversation With Amy Edmondson
Psychological safety and accountability are often thought to be in conflict. In reality, they’re both essential components of high-performing teams, according to a conversation between Dr. David Rock and Dr. Amy Edmondson.
2. What It Looks Like to Create Psychological Safety and Accountability
In pursuit of results, leaders don’t have to choose between kid gloves or command-and-control. See how Shawn, a thoughtful manager at a large organization, learns this lesson.
3. 3 Ways Neuroscience Can Help You Become a Better Leader
Understanding neuroscience, which helps explain core functions of the brain common to us all, can help leaders be more effective at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Here’s how to help your employees bring their best brains to work.
4. The Three-Legged Stool of Modern Leadership
According to NLI’s research, three pillars support modern leadership: growth mindset, accountability, and psychological safety. Specifically, leaders need to foster cultures where mistakes are seen as chances to improve, where clear expectations and a sense of purpose drive results, and where coworkers feel safe to speak up.
5. How to Make Virtual Learning Better, Not Worse, Than In-Person
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6. Why Social Learning Is So Effective, and How to Use It In Your Organization
Unlike learning programs where people complete lessons alone at their desk, social learning is an approach where learners collaborate with other people to absorb material while sharing insights and deepening long-term retention. A version of this article appeared in Fast Company.
7. The 3 Habits of Accountability
Building a culture where people follow through on their responsibilities boils down to three key habits: thinking ahead, owning commitments, and anchoring on solutions. A version of this article appeared in Harvard Business Review.
8. It’s Time for a New Approach to Change: Everyone-to-Everyone Learning
Many learning programs assume that top-down change initiatives are most effective. But research suggests team members at all levels benefit when they learn similar skills at the same time as one another.
9. How to Be the ‘Change Architect’ Your Organization Needs
Most culture change initiatives fall apart because nobody attends to three key factors that determine their success. A version of this article, which describes the importance of checking cognitive capacity, coherence, and habit activation before embarking on a culture change, appeared in Fast Company.
10. A Transformative Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Beyond a moral imperative, diversity, equity, and inclusion have never been more critical to business success. NLI’s white paper, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: The Impact Case,” presents the key habits organizations need in order to nurture DEI within their workforces.
