“Power to the People!” John Lennon sang in 1971, bringing music to a slogan that had been chanted and shouted by young people across the US to protest the Vietnam War over the previous few years. Meanwhile, “All Power to the People” was also being chanted by the Black Panthers to protest what they perceivedContinue reading “Power of the People > the People in Power”
Category Archives: Blind Spots
The Anti-AI Revolution at 2026 Graduations
I might pay attention to graduation speeches each year more than the average person. Despite missing my own graduation to work overseas, and sitting in torrential rain during for my graduate degree commencement ceremony a few years later, I then had the joy of working at Harvard University’s commencement ceremonies for more than a decade,Continue reading “The Anti-AI Revolution at 2026 Graduations”
Stephen Colbert and the Art of Adjourning
As you might know, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended last week, bringing to a close Colbert’s own 11-year run on the show, as well as The Late Show‘s 33-year run (which began with host David Letterman), and a history of TV variety shows in the same theater dating back to the early 1950s.Continue reading “Stephen Colbert and the Art of Adjourning”
Extracting Value When Things Go Wrong
Working with groups is never dull. Think of a time or twelve when a group you’re working with has surprised you in some way – for better or worse. Perhaps a person you wouldn’t have expected took charge, or the group came up with surprising ideas, or people had a strong reaction to something thatContinue reading “Extracting Value When Things Go Wrong”
Being a Mental Health Ally for Others (and for Yourself!)
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, each year millions of Americans (as many as 1 in 5) experience mental illness. In the past, many of us might have believed that mental health was a concern only for those with mental illness, but living through a lengthy pandemic, and all the stresses and repercussionsContinue reading “Being a Mental Health Ally for Others (and for Yourself!)”
Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity – the Cornerstones of Building Bridges
How many aspects of your identity are visible to those around you? How many are invisible, or at least not intuitive? If you’re like a lot of people, your identity is – as we’ve mentioned before – like an iceberg, with the vast majority (90% in the case of icebergs) being under the surface, andContinue reading “Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity – the Cornerstones of Building Bridges”
Threading the Smallest Needle
Please bear with me while I brag about my kids – I promise it will connect with work and your teams. If you’ve been reading Building Bridges Leadership’s posts for a while, you might remember that my oldest child co-founded a high school robotics team a few years ago. Or perhaps you remember the termContinue reading “Threading the Smallest Needle”
Leading when the World Feels Like a Tinderbox
At the time of writing, it feels like the world is in a precarious place. President Donald Trump has threatened that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran doesn’t reopen the Straight of Hormuz by 8pm EST. Iranian official Alireza Rahimi called on “all young people, athletes, artists,Continue reading “Leading when the World Feels Like a Tinderbox”
“Slavery Isn’t Part of My Country’s History…”
Living in the US, I find that people have a wide variety of reactions when they discover I was born and raised in the UK, whether they lived here their whole life or are immigrants themselves. Some are fascinated and some are curious. Quite often I find that the UK’s history of colonization has impactedContinue reading ““Slavery Isn’t Part of My Country’s History…””
When You’re Arguing on Different Tracks
How often have you found yourself in discussions or arguments where you and the other party were both convicted in their position, and there was no way to move forward? Perhaps you simply “agreed to disagree,” which seems positive but usually leaves each person feeling frustrated. In 2022, The Tipping Point and Outliers author MalcolmContinue reading “When You’re Arguing on Different Tracks”
Building Bridges Leadership 