Omega 2021 – where hope was born

Omega 2021 – where hope was born. Well, 2021 started extremely hopeful following the uncertainty of 2020 – the year the world shut down. The United Nations declared 2021 as the International Year of Peace and Trust,^[1] the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development,^[2] the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables,^[3] and the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.^[4](Wikipedia).

I wonder whether historians will also consider the year as the ‘great reflection’? This year saw millions continue to reflect on their work and their relationship to it. In the US that meant a significant number of low paid workers in the hospitality industry refusing to return to their low paid jobs, and there and elsewhere the ‘Great Resignation’ began to rear its head into other professions and industries.

Workers were leaving in droves even though they might not have had new jobs to go to. Voting with their feet for better pay and working conditions. This has made other employers consider their own organisations and the net result was the start of a return to making the workplace (whether remote or in-person) a better place. Long may this continue.

I saw amongst my clients a greater desire to become more diverse and inclusive and to turn theory into practice. For example, during Black History Month I delivered a workshop entitled ‘After George, what’s next?’ to 140 attendees at a NHS Trust. There continues to be innovation and changes in organisational culture to accommodate a more inclusive, diverse workforce throughout the UK. 

Omega 2021 – where hope was born

Other things also happened in 2021 …

• On 6^th January supporters of President Donald Trump storm the US Capitol, resulting in 5 deaths
• On Jan 13 President Donald Trump is impeached for incitement of insurrection – the first time in history a US President is impeached twice
• Joe Biden becomes the 46^th President of the USA and Kamala Harris as the 49^th Vice President. The first female black or South Asian Vice President 
• 1^st February there is a coup d’état in Myanmar
• Engineers at MIT announce they have engineered spinach to send emails when detecting explosive materials in groundwater as part of plant nanobionic research
• Denmark approves plans for world’s first energy island in the North Sea to provide power to 3 million Europeans
• March 7 Oprah Winfrey interviews Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleges Meghan was made suicidal and subject to racist treatment by the palace
• New study suggests the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago created South America’s tropical rainforests
• Human cells grown in monkey cells for 20 days reported by US-Chinese team at the Salk Institute in ‘Cell’
• May 15 Evidence of Africa’s earliest burial, a 3 year old boy, 78,000 years ago in a cave in Kenya published
• President Emmanuel Macron makes statement recognising France’s role in 1994 genocide meeting with Rwanda President Paul Kagame in Kigali, Rwanda
• Derek Chauvin former US police Officer sentenced to 22 years and 6 months for the murder of George Floyd
• El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender
• Rare December tornadoes strike 4 American states leaving at least 70 dead

A lot more happened in 2021 in hindsight, more political unrest than I remembered, climate change issues and concerns, COVID increased cases and deaths. There was good news however, like the sports achievements, (the Olympics are an example), new found discoveries and a sense of hope despite the continuing tragedy of the year.

What about you Judith?

This is what I wrote on New Years Day in 2021:

• The new website for aspiring Maverick Leaders and organisations will continue to be developed
• There are a number of new ventures that I’m starting this year – more about these when I can!
• I will attempt to write book 2 this year – starting in Q3.
• I will start doing more ‘talking head’ videos
• The Maverick Leaders with Mark Bremner, Nick Day and myself was to launch

How’d you do?

Well, the new website, revamped and expanded is now officially The Maverick Paradox Company Website showcasing what we do and providing resources to provoke Maverick Leadership. Do you like it? The Maverick Paradox Magazine still retains its existing website.

There was a number of personal and business growth throughout the year, although writing book 2 wasn’t one of them!

I have recorded and published a number of talking heads videos, however The Maverick Leaders collaboration did not take place due to the realisation that the pandemic would be an ongoing concern and we all decided to prioritise our existing businesses. 

We see our conversations as being fruitful, sparking many innovations in the separate businesses. 2021 has been a busy year for me, here are a few highlights:

• I became HRZone’s Leadership Columnist. HRZone.com is an online destination for HR professionals and business leaders. They have 170 page views a month and 87k registered members.
• The Maverick Paradox Podcast was ranked in the top 5% global most popular podcasts.
• I became an international radio show host in September for the radio station KLDR Online Leadership Development Radio. My weekly show is The Maverick Paradox @ KLDR and I’m the first European host.
• Following the successes of:
  • The Maverick Paradox Podcast
  • The Maverick Paradox Magazine
  • The Maverick Paradox @ KLDR Online Leadership Development Radio

Maverick Paradox Media was born.

• The Maverick Paradox Podcast went from a weekly to a twice weekly show in September.
• The Maverick Paradox Podcast was ranked number 12 Best Leadership Podcast in the UK to follow in 2021.
• I became a GTex finalist in 2 categories, Mentor of the Year and Outstanding Contributor of the Year. I went on to win the Contributor of the Year Award.
• My LinkedIn Newsletter – Leadership is personal began in November. Take a look here.
• My article ‘Organisations need HR to be the change champion’ for HRZone was the 4^th most popular read in 2021.
• The Maverick Paradox Magazine was ranked 171 Best Leadership Blog out of thousands of blogs on the web.
• I am an official honouree for the Brainz 500 Global Awards. The Brainz 500 Global Awards is a prestigious list of top entrepreneurs and influential leaders who are recognised for their entrepreneurial success, achievements, and dedication to helping others.
• I continue to speak and sit on panels discussing leadership, diversity and impact.

Omega 2021 – where hope was born. It has been an interesting year and I look forward to seeing what 2022 brings.

If you would prefer to listen to this post please check out episode 172 on The Maverick Paradox Podcast or listen below.