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The newest plaza in Valencia, Spain, has everything one might expect from a public space in a temperate seaside Spanish city. Its five acres contain green space, a playground, ball courts, and walking paths, and the plaza connects to a new market hall, with restaurants and bars serving a wide range of local specialties. Next to all thisand the real reason for any of it existing at allis Roig Arena, the new multipurpose stadium built for the men’s and women’s professional basketball teams of the Valencia Basket Club. The basketball arena is hardly the second thought here, but it’s much more a piece of this broader civic space than the typical pro sports facility. Especially compared to the U.S., where the stadium is often the only element of such a project, Roig Arena and its public amenities offer a refreshing take on a form of urban development that favors the “development” over the “urban.” [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] Open since September, the project was designed by the international architecture firm Hok and Valencia-based Erre. With a fluid, scaly facade of precisely angled ceramic tiles, the arena has an unmistakable presence in a neighborhood just outside the center of the city. But because it was sunk down into the ground, the arena is actually much shorter than most of the surrounding neighborhood, softening the unavoidable intrusion of such a big building. There’s room inside for more than 15,000 people during basketball games, and upwards of 20,000 when the venue is used for concerts, which, according to its business plan, represents a large chunk of its calendar. Even more significant is the market hall, which is open every day, even when there’s no basketball game or concert happening. [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] In contrast to stadiums in the U.S., Valencia’s was a relative bargain at 400 million, or about $461 million. (The Intuit Dome, the flashy new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, for instance, cost more than $2 billion.) The project was financed entirely by Juan Roig, owner of the Valencia Basket Club and majority owner of Spain’s largest supermarket chain, Mercadona. It’s a unique financial arrangement in Spain, where most sports arenas are publicly financed. The Valencia basketball arena’s design was led by Erre partner Amparo Roig, who also happens to be the daughter of Juan Roig. “He wanted to do something important for Valencia and for Spain,” she says. “It was very important to be sustainable economically.” [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] More than an arena Making it financially sustainable required focusing on ways the arena could be more than just a sports venue. In the U.S., arenas typically host professional basketball and hockey teams as their anchor users, with concerts and performances as a substantial side business, and fine dining and other concessions adding to the bottom line during events. [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] In Spain, hockey is not part of the mix, which meant the arena had to be designed to make concerts and events sit on almost equal footing as basketball games, and have concessions that would actually draw more than just the captured audience of a sports game or concert. One sit-down restaurant in the complex specializes in paella and grilled fish. Another offers croquettes and Valencian flatbreads. “We’re not doing hot dogs here,” Amparo Roig says. [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] In other ways, the arena is a typical sports and concert venue, with priority given to spectators’ view lines, easy ingress and egress, and comfort inside the space. Roig took the designer’s prerogative and included more restrooms for women than men. Specially designed piping systems allow beer vendors to operate on the floor level during concerts. “Subtle things like that make sure that it is very much a party building when it’s in party mode,” says John Rhodes, director of sports and entertainment at Hok. The venue also has its share of luxury lounges. But unlike the stuffy, windowless lounges inside most arenas, Roig Arena’s were designed to stretch to the exterior edge of the building, much of which is open to the usually warm air of Valencia. “What we tried to do was actually ensure that the lounges were almost connected with the outside, with this beautiful climate,” Rhodes says. [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] An outdoor arrangement That connection to the outside extends throughout the building. Its facade, made of 8,600 ceramic scales, was carefully configured to block the intensity of the sun while still allowing coastal breezes to enter the building. This partially cools the building, cutting down on its energy use. A rooftop solar array also reduces its energy demands. [Photo: Hufton + Crow Photography] The openness of the Valencia basketball arena’s facade raised some concerns from locals. This, after all, is an existing neighborhood; a local school was relocated to create room for the project. As such, the designers focused heavily on community outreach, and on addressing issues that residents raised. The big one was noisea challenge that forced Madrid’s main stadium to cancel concerts after the roar of a Taylor Swift concert spilled out across the surrounding neighborhood. “We made a lot of effort that the sound didn’t go outside, not through the roof and not through the facade,” Roig says. It’s part of the project’s civic gesture. In the end, it’s still a big event venue that will always stick out a bit in a city with thousands of years of history. But among the sports stadiums being built around the world, it does at least try to soften the impact, and possibly add more than it takes. “As a designer, it’s very, very rare that you get to introduce such significant public realm into a heritage city,” Rhodes says.
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One of the many ways Americans practice gratitude in the month of November is by honoring those who have served in the U.S. military. This federal holiday is always observed on November 11even if that falls on a weekday, as is the case this year. Many federal services take the day off to give workers time to observe Veterans Day. It can get a bit confusing to know how this impacts whats open and closed. The ongoing federal government shutdown adds another layer of uncertainty. Before we clear all that up, lets take a look at the history of the day. A brief history of Veterans Day World War I was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. On November 11, 1918, a temporary armistice went into effect at 11 a.m., which ended fighting between the Allied nations and Germany. This halting of hostilities became permanent on June 28, 1919, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, but the November 11 ceasefire would have a historical stronghold and continue to be celebrated. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 Armistice Day. Congress followed suit eight years later with a concurrent resolution. Unfortunately, as we are all too aware, WWI did not end all wars. The United States went on to fight in World War II and get entangled in conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq, to name just a few. The holiday evolved to honor not just those soldiers who served in WWI but in any of the conflicts that came after. In 1954, Congress officially amended the Act of 1938 to include all veterans. The Uniform Holiday Bill of 1968 moved the observance to Monday, October 25, 1971. People did not love this change, so President Gerald R. Ford reversed the decision in 1975, which took effect in 1978. Are banks open on Veterans Day? No. Veterans Day is a federal holiday, so most major banks are closed. You can turn to online banking in a pinch. Also, most ATMs are operational on Veterans Day. What about the post office? No. The United States Postal Service is closed on Veterans Day. Is mail delivered on Veterans Day? No. You will get a day off from bills and junk mail. The exception is USPS Priority Mail Express, a premium service that guarantees delivery even on federal holidays. Are FedEx and UPS open? Yes. FedEx locations are open, and most services will run as normal. Some delivery and pickup times for standard FedEx Express/ground services are modified because of the holiday. UPS stores are also open for business. Most pickup and delivery services will run as usual, but UPS Ground Saver and UPS Mail Innovations will need an additional day for deliveries. Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? Yes. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are open for trading. What about schools? No. Most schools are not in session on Veterans Day. Some districts even took November 10 off to give everyone a four-day weekend. Are retail stores and restaurants open on Veterans Day? Yes. Most major retail stores and eateries are open for business. Some businesses even offer discounts or deals for service members. Applebees, California Pizza Kitchen, and Red Robin are all offering a free entrée. Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, is offering veterans and their families discounted tickets. The Nashville Zoo is offering free admission for veterans and their immediate family members. Heres a full list of deals and discounts compiled by the American Legion. What about pharmacies? Most pharmacies are open, including major chains like Walgreens and CVS, but some locations may observe different hours in the pharmacy section, so it’s best to check with your local store if you need medication.
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When you think of leaders you admire, you likely imagine them as authentic, at least in the sense of seeming genuine, real, and trustworthy. Science confirms this is usually the case. For example, data tells us that trustworthy leaders stand out for their no thrills patterns of behavior: They are, in other words, predictable, reliable, and unlikely to shock their employees or followers with erratic or excitable behavior that freaks them out. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Furthermore, the best meta-analysis (quantitative review of hundreds of independent top studies) on personality and leadership tells us that one of the most consistent predictors of whether someone emerges as a leader, and is in turn actually effective in that role, is conscientiousnessa trait embodied by people who are methodical, disciplined, gritty, and who excel at self-control and resisting temptations (in other words, the opposite personality to Charlie Sheen, though his current self has no doubt become more conscientious!). Unsurprisingly, leaders with this profile also tend to create higher levels of psychological safety, which as my colleague Amy Edmondson and I have recently illustrated is likely to create the conditions that enable teams to experiment, take healthy risks, fail smart, and speak up without fear of being reprimanded. Ironically, then, the more leaders can edit themselves, the less pressure their teams will feel to edit themselves. In other words, if you want people to feel safe and included, focus on being your best rather than your real or natural self. Works in progress More importantly, every leader is a work in progress. That is, the growing complexities and uncertainties underpinning each and every one of the new challenges leaders must face (e.g., navigating the human-AI age, coming to terms with global geopolitical conflicts, managing shareholder and stakeholder value, having a voice on polarizing matters without alienating or antagonizing or acting like a cult leader), make it imperative that leaders improve, evolve, and develop. This requires being coachable, and having the necessary curiosity, humility, and motivation to not just be yourselfto not be limited by your past and present self. As my colleague Herminia Ibarra noted, the evolution of the self always consists of going beyond who you already are and finding ways to broaden or enrich your identity. Inevitably, this means resisting the temptation to stay within your comfort zone, playing it safe or playing it to your strengths, and mastering new behaviors and adaptations. Simple example: A naturally extraverted leader will probably have a tendency to dominate meetings, making it hard to let other people speak. However, if they were interested in becoming better and evolving as a leader, they could develop the micro-skills needed to shut up and listen! By the same token, a naturally creative and innovative leader may have a tendency to jump from one idea to the next, getting easily bored with executional details or tactical operational road maps. However, if they were interested in being more effective and becoming a more complete version of themselves, they would benefit from cultivating some patience and interest for these details, and so on. Broadening skills So, as it turns out, self-editing is not just helpful when it comes to making leaders understand that their obligation to others generally eclipses their right to be themselves, but also broadening the skills and behavioral repertoire leaders must possess to manage in complex times. Indeed, even if you think you are effectiveperhaps even talentedas a leader, the only way to get better is by not simply applying your current skills, but learning new adaptations. This means decoupling the trigger-response connection to allow for a wider range of possibilities, responses, and behaviors, turning you into a more diverse and broader version of yourself, a kind of personal enrichment that expands your potential and gives you more choices to respond appropriately to each situation. Because lets not forget: Every situation benefits from the right response, rather than the first or most natural thing that comes to mind. In that sense, acting spontaneously and without much consideration or concern for what others think of you may make you feel more authentic, but also be less effective in the eyes of others. With that, here are eight simple tips for being better at self-editing. Eight practical ways to master the art of self-editing Dont believe your own hype.The moment you start inhaling your own PR, your learning curve flattens. Confidence is useful; self-delusion is not. Good leaders act like their reputation is a rumor they still need to verify. Remember: Its not how good you think you areits how good others think you are.Decades of psychological research show that self-ratings of talent or performance barely correlate (and often correlate negatively) with actual performance. Self-perception is comforting fiction; reputation is data. Pause before you react.The gap between impulse and action is where leadership lives. Emotional self-regulationthinking twice before sending that late-night emailis often the difference between credibility and regret. Curate what you share.Transparency doesnt mean oversharing. The best leaders disclose enough to build trust but not so much that it burdens others. Edit for relevance, not confession. Seek out editors.Every great writer has an editor; every great leader should too. Surround yourself with people who challenge, critique, and occasionally deflate you. If everyone around you nods, youre in an echo chamber, not a team. Balance passion with predictability.Enthusiasm is energizing, but mood swings are exhausting. Your team shouldnt need to forecast your emotional weather. Reliability is charismas less exciting but more mature (and employable) sibling. Audit your habits.What you do repeatedlyhow you listen, decide, interrupt, and delegateforms your leadership brand. Record yourself in meetings, solicit feedback, or keep a behavior log. Then rewrite the bad sentences. Edit forward.View your leadership style as a draft in progress. Ask: What part of me needs less airtime now? What version of me do my team and context need next? Continuous revision is how leaders evolve rather than ossify. In short, leadership maturity is less about finding yourself than about refining yourself. The best leaders dont broadcast every thought or impulse, they run an internal editorial process that filters noise, amplifies value, and leaves others with clarity rather than confusion. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. 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