2021 was anything but a dull year. Some people call it the worst year ever, while others are starting to see hope as the pandemic feels more under control. Whatever your experience has been, we invite you to reflect on what has worked (or not) and to appreciate all the good things that happened in 2021 – don't let bad news cloud your achievements.

Every year, our team gets together to reflect on our challenges and progress, too. One of our key measures of success is the impact our work creates – not in terms of business but in terms of contributing to building more human workplaces.

In 2021, participants from over 250 cities across six continents joined our open programs. One million unique visitors read at least 3, or more posts and our free tools have been downloaded 100,000+ times in the past 12 months. These are not just numbers, but a reflection of the appetite for insights and t,ools to build better workplaces. And we are honored to be part of your journey.

Every year, we also review the most read articles in the Fearless Culture blog – another indicator of what matters to our readers.

Here's the list of the most-read articles across the five different categories: culture design, leadership, teamwork, personal growth, and tools.

The 12 Most-Read Articles of 2021 – Fearless Culture Blog

How to Increase Psychological Safety in Remote and Hybrid Teams

Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams. However, it has become more challenging for remote and distributed teams to make everyone feel safe, included, and to share their ideas. Try this curated list of activities, tools, and exercises.

The Hybrid Team Culture Canvas

This simplified version of the culture design canvas is perfect for hybrid and remote teams to reset how they work. Move from synchronous to asynchronous collaboration, reimagine a shared future, increase belonging, and release agility. Check it out.

12 Examples of Companies with Strong Cultures

Successful workplace cultures don't happen by accident, but by design. Learn how Netflix, Zappos, IKEA, Slack, HubSpot, Pixar, and Amazon (among others) were able to build and maintain strong company cultures.

How to Define Your Company Values. And Why It Matters

Company values establish core beliefs and guiding principles. Core values matter because they define how the company does business and what's expected of people. This in-depth post will help you understand why values matter, how to choose yours, mistakes to avoid, and inspiration from various organizations.

The Ego Is Not Your Enemy

The ego has a bad rap, lately becoming the villain in most personal growth articles. What if instead of trying to get rid of our ego, we reframe our relationship with it? Your ego is not the problem; stop treating it as the enemy.

The Best Rituals to Build Strong Remote Teams

Changing people's behavior is anything but easy, especially when everyone is working from different places. Virtual team rituals are perfect to increase awareness and to give team members a nudge. They should definitely be part of your playbook.

The Psychological Safety Ladder: from Belonging to Innovation

The question is not if psychological safety matters or not, but how. The Psychological Safety Ladder addresses the three levels: belonging, cognitive diversity, and innovation. You must achieve one level to move to the next one – most importantly, the higher you climb the ladder, the safer it feels to take more risks. Read how.

The Four Leadership Styles – And How to Find Yours

There are dozens of leadership theories and styles – some are better than others. Rather than looking for the perfect model to adopt, this post invites you to discover your authentic leadership style and develop it.

The Problem with the Hybrid Workplace – And How to Fix It

The biggest challenges of a hybrid workplace are not operational or technological, but cultural. Rather than focusing so much on process, organizations need to change their mindset. You can't understand the hybrid place if you don't update your views first.

Better Culture Starts with Better Conversations

There are three types of conversations at work: the ones we avoid, the ones that kill culture, and the ones that transform it. What about your team? The quality of your culture depends on the quality of your conversations.

There Are Four Types of Culture, Which One Is Yours

Not all company cultures are made equal. Each one is unique – with both pros and cons. How to choose your type of culture wisely.

How to Map Your Current Company Culture with the Culture Canvas

The Culture Design Canvas has quickly become the tool of choice for many organizational designers who care about building more purpose-driven, agile, and innovative workplace cultures. This updated post will help you map yours.