Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?
My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”
Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another:
- Black Death, COVID, and Why We Keep Telling the Myth of a Renaissance Golden Age and Bad Middle Ages – Ex Urbe. “This is a very long read. And absolutely worth it. We think the Renaissance was wonderful, and that the middle ages were bad. The reality is, the Renaissance was a period of tremendous upheaval and social injustice. New technologies flourished, alongside pandemics and wars. Maybe current times are another Renaissance—filled with invention, and horror, and injustice, and art. And, maybe, we can do better by looking at the past.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- Michael Jordan: A history of flight – ESPN. “I’m not a sports guy, as should be abundantly clear from the links I suggest and my sheer lack of coordination (I’m the dunce who broke his leg, needing surgery, while getting a glass of water. No surprises here). But this story sort of makes me wish I were. It’s about Michael Jordan, and Nike, and North Carolina. It’s also a long piece, but also worth it. ‘Tinker Hatfield—yes, of those Hatfields—created the Air Jordan III in 1987, in time for MJ’s fourth NBA season. Thirty-three years later, Nike’s Jordan brand sells $3 billion per year in merchandise.’ Jordan is hard to put in a box, and clearly that’s how he likes it.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- Rockhead’s Paradise – The Canadian Encyclopedia. “If there’s a better name for a Jazz club than Rockhead’s Paradise (opened in Montreal ~1930), or a better name for a jazz club owner than Rufus Rockhead, I don’t know what they would be. During the prohibition era, Montreal became sin city, where the liquor still flowed and music was loud, and Rockhead’s Paradise hosted musicians including Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday to black and white crowds.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Show Girls – Meilan Lam – NFB. “A National Film Board of Canada documentary, about three dancers, Bernice, Tina and Olga, from Montreal’s swinging Black jazz scene from the 1920s to the 1960s.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- The Looming Bank Collapse – The Atlantic. “My first reaction is: What else have you got for us in 2020? My second reaction is: What do you do? Do you get out of the market? Do you sit tight? Do you think this is wrong? Do you think this is more than probable? Do you stuff everything that you have in a mattress (if you even have anything)? If ever you wanted proof that we – as individuals – can only control how we feel about our situation, then this won’t unnerve you. If you’re someone who likes to think that you have control over more things… Well…” (Mitch for Alistair).
- Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist – Unlocking Us – Brene Brown’s Podcast. “Like many of us, I am now on journey of self-discovery. I used to think that I wasn’t racist, then I watched the documentary, 13th on Netflix (if you don’t have Netflix, don’t worry. Just click the link or look below, it’s showing for free on YouTube), starting reading Ibram’s excellent book, How To Be Antiracist, and started to no longer attach the idea of ‘racism’ with hoods and burning crosses. I have been non-racist… and that’s a problem, not a solution. It’s hard to see, admit and figure out (that’s what privilege does). So… new journeys… new conversations… new listening… new paying attention… new thinking… new attitude… and more. I’m not sharing this to pat myself on the back. I’m only at the starting gate of learning and (trying) to grow. I am hopeful that others will take a listen to this conversation between Ibram X. Kendi and Brene Brown, and just listen. Just listen… then think deeply…then… act.” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
Show Girls, Meilan Lam, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Mitch JoelMitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.