This November, we’re showing our gratitude for the words, industries and people that inspire us and are making a real difference. To give thanks the best way we know how, each #thankfulthursday we’re sharing a different staff round-up.
Thought leadership can be a nebulous term. Many business leaders and brands either claim to be or want to be thought leaders. In reality, it takes a special individual with truly unique insights, often contrarian or provocative opinions, and battle scars accrued from years of experience in a particular industry to truly fit the bill of a thought leader. At Red Fan, we’re fortunate enough to work with quite a few of them, and are constantly being inspired by others. We’re thankful for the brains that are making an impact and the ideas that are a guiding force for others. Here are a few of our staff’s favorite thought leaders that we think are making a real difference:
LeRon Barton: Barton is a writer, author and TedX Speaker committed to fighting social justice and advocating for personal authenticity. We love his TedTalk’s “How I Overcame My Fear of Stuttering” and “The Power of Sharing Your Story.”
Jacob Shapiro: As founder and chief geopolitical strategist at Perch Perspectives, Shapiro is a wizard at speaking and writing. Read his insights on the Perch blog, and listen to our most recent webinar with him where he gave us the geopolitical-411 and shared how CEOs need to be considering geopolitics.
Brené Brown: Brown is a research professor, author, podcast host and speaker focusing on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her new “Dare to Lead” podcast is excellent.
Lanham Napier: Napier is a fanatic tech entrepreneur and founder of BuildGroup, an investment company helping leaders build the future of SaaS. In his book, Billion or Bust!, Lanham talks about his 14-year journey as the president and then CEO of Rackspace, taking the company public and the lessons learned along the way.
Jacinda Ardern: A politician and activist, Ardern is the standing prime minister of New Zealand. In her handling of the Christchurch attack, climate change and COVID-19, she represents a powerful and modern woman, and shows us what political leaders should aspire to be.
Rajkumari Neogy: Neogy is an executive coach specializing in epigenetics and the biology of belonging, advising on transgenerational trauma and toxic work cultures. This Fast Company piece is a great read on tactics for business leaders that will assist in repairing work cultures torn apart by blame, lack of accountability, and trauma.
Ai Weiwei: Ai Weiwei is an incredibly brave Chinese artist and filmmaker, and was named the most powerful artist of the year by ArtReview. His recent documentary, “Coronation,” is a portrait of what citizens of Wuhan experienced while in their intensive lockdown. Read more about his work and legacy in this piece by Smithsonian Mag.
Kirk Dando: Dando is a CEO whisperer, and our own CEO loves him. His podcast “For You Leaders” is a top leadership podcast where he gives a behind-the-scenes look at the real and raw of leadership.
Malcolm Gladwell: As the author of five NYT bestselling books, Gladwell has made his mark as a journalist, writer and speaker. He brings an intellectual appreciation for everyday subjects, and aims to share serious psychology with the masses. Clearly, we eat it up.
