In recognition of the July 4th holiday here in the US, Building Bridges Leadership is taking a few days off, but you may want to read our now-traditional early-July article, How Is Your Team Like a Fireworks Display?, or alternatively revisit the post below, originally posted in early July, 2020, with slight updates below. Re-reading it recently, I was struck that despite moving into a post-Covid era, many pieces here seem as important as ever. Maybe you’ll find something helpful here in July, 2025.
On July 4th, 2020, ’90s rapper Vanilla Ice was scheduled to play a concert in Austin, Texas. Billed as being a “carefree return to the pre-coronavirus ’90s”, he was promoting the show as late as July 2nd, before quickly reversing course just four hours later, saying “I listened to my fans… I didn’t know the numbers were so crazy.”
If you live in the United States, you may remember feeling that – Vanilla Ice aside – July 4th had a decidedly different feel in 2020. Between Covid-19 and the elevated focus on racial injustice following the police murder of George Floyd, Independence Day 2020 brought a wide range of emotions. I heard from many a renewed desire to move towards the promise of America rather than celebrate the current reality of it. A growing proportion of people are not comfortable going back to “how things were”, and are calling for something new. Five years later, in 2025, increased political divisiveness and widespread protests in response to the current administration’s actions are leading once again to people working towards the promise of America, not celebrating the current reality.
With that in mind, perhaps during this season, we can learn something by putting into action Vanilla Ice’s most (or only?) famous lyric, “Stop, collaborate, and listen…”
This Week’s Tip:
- STOP – The Covid-19 pandemic changed our work world – and it seems things have been constantly evolving ever since. In increasingly uncertain times, doing things how you’ve always done them will not necessarily lead to the same results. Stop, take a step back, and review your practices.
- COLLABORATE – Work with others, both within your organization and elsewhere. We need to hear each other’s experiences and perspectives, more than ever, and we all have skills and insight to offer those around us.
- LISTEN – Seek out those with different viewpoints and life experiences. Challenge your center of gravity. Find narratives that don’t match your own, from people who identify differently than you, through books, movies, podcasts, and more…
Try putting these famous lyrics into action this week, and let us know how it goes – we’d love to hear from you!
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