T&M Thought Blog

By Ian Flueck

We live in an age of big leadership. Politicians dominate international discourse, CEOs direct millions of employees, and social figureheads lead massive audiences on critical issues. Consider the popularity of superhero movies with characters whose larger-than-life abilities allow them to step into the spotlight and save humanity. These characters embody the traits of big leadership. Our leadership styles have also been influenced by social media with the rise of a new type of leader, the influencer. Views, likes, shares, and comments calculate the social and cultural power that these leaders have in our lives.

By Lauren Excell

What may have been buried in the negative news are some of the positive changes we’ve seen in our environment as a result of quarantine. Nitrogen dioxide levels over China have plummeted as production was halted and cars and trucks were kept off the roads. The fish and swans have returned to the canals of Venice and the water is clear enough to see to the bottom because the boats have been docked. I’ll be the first to admit that quarantine and self-isolation is hard on everyone financially and emotionally, and these facts don’t diminish that. But there may be lessons that we can learn moving forward for how we can better coexist with our environment.