One of our favorite parts of the HBR year is looking back at what we published to find the ideas that, in retrospect, stand out the most — articles that taught us something truly new or surprised us with wholly new ways of thinking about topics we thought we were tired of, as well as the articles our readers found most interesting or useful. In 2016, the Venn diagram of what we were proudest of and what you spent the most time reading overlapped more than ever. And this year it was particularly easy to see themes emerge.