As you're analyzing your June numbers from yesterday's close of the quarter and assessing your personal H1 KPIs, today and the rest of this week are one of those very few genuine pauses during the year when corporate America simply goes quiet. Today and the rest of this week, there's no pipeline reviews, no forecast calls, no inbox triage that can't wait until next week.
For these next few days, you've earned the right to exhale, the permission to take a breath, the allowance of patting yourself on the back... and most importantly, the requirement to be with your family and close friends to really reflect on the true meaning of "The 4th of July!"
So, before you close your laptop today, take a few minutes during the balance of this week, and especially on Saturday when you're surrounded by friends and family at the barbecue to think about the absolute enormity, the gravitas and the extraordinary depth of the true meaning of these words:
-"The American Revolution"
-"250 Years of Democracy"
-"The Declaration of Independence"
I've always thought of Benjamin Franklin as the original blogger, publishing Poor Richard's Almanack year after year. But Franklin was an extraordinary diplomat, a statesman, and a "True Founding Father"! The only person to sign all four documents that built this country:
-The Declaration of Independence in 1776.
-The Alliance of Paris providing supplies in 1778.
-The Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War in 1783 and won our independence from Britain.
-The U.S. the Constitution in 1787.
At 81, the oldest of the signers, he was still able to navigate the delicate balance between liberty, security, and civic responsibility not just in theory, but actually getting the job done and documents signed.
On the day of the final vote on the Constitution, he wrote a famous speech. He admitted that the document wasn't perfect...only that it was better than any alternative, and that a government is only as good as the people who administer it. He respected the right of others to hold opinions that didn't match his own, and he valued compromise:
"I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them... I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us... I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution."
My suggestion is for you to take just 30 minutes during these next few days to think and talk about the true meaning and depth of these words with your kids and your friends while you go for a walk on the beach or you're out hiking the trails in New Hampshire or in the hills of Vermont.
-You've worked extremely hard to get those H1 points on the board! Congratulations!!!
-There were solid expected wins and also surprise losses, but at least you're batting better than the Sox!
-Today, on one of the hottest days of the year, remember that you battled the wicked winta of '26!
And since we're back at it bright and early on Monday, think about what Franklin accomplished 250 years ago and whether there are related skills for example in your own negotiating, in your personal listening, and in how you're presenting your points of view that you can improve on and use more adeptly in the second half of this year? I know in my own case, I spend tons of time each quarter reading, experimenting and improving my own presentation skills both with my customers in their board rooms and with my Tufts students in my classroom, which is always the ultimate and most immediate test.
What I do know from our own customers is that it's going to be a superb second half, and right now it's the perfect time of year to think about refining our own personal selling skills and updating our H2 Playbooks.
Jack is a Managing Partner of Derby Management, a strategy consulting firm, and founder of the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University, where he has taught for 20 years. Every semester is significantly updated, with heavy emphasis in 2026 on AI in Marketing & Sales. At Derby Management, Jack and his team architect and build business strategies focused on sales and marketing processes, tools, and technology platforms.
| www.derbymanagement.com | Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts