Be Like the Bison
Move Forward In Spite of Your Conditions
In my corporate career we were more like hamsters stuck in wheels. It was demoralizing.
Indecision at the top led to action that went nowhere, and I was surrounded by type-a high-achievers. Being hamsters in wheels was our kryptonite. Once full of life we walked around our office like zombies.
One of the blessings, and also curses, of being a highly-sensitive person is that I see patterns in everything and everywhere. I can’t turn it off. I usually see and connect what others cannot.
A pattern has emerged for this week and it was gifted to me by executives, a re-stacked note on substack, and the bison.
One of the most important pieces of intentional leadership is one many ignore, action. Your ability to act in the direction of your strategy and your dreams is directly correlated to how well you handle discomfort.
In the corporate space I’ve learned this the hard way and have also witnessed it work and change the course of business forever. At my last role, no one knew the right answer and the strategy at the beginning was wrong, so we kept circling, leadership said they wanted change, but no one acted. We pretend acted, like updating power point decks, but not on the things that would actually move the needle.
During the housing market financial crisis I was a mid-level merchant at West Elm, the businesses of Williams-Sonoma corporate were seeing a scary downtrend that predicted where the stock market would be going. The executive team gathered, came up with a plan, and we executed that plan. It was hard, it was uncomfortable, we had to face what we were doing wrong and make it right, it was also slow, but it WORKED. Looking back, it was the most rewarding time in my career and where I also learned the most.
Williams-Sonoma honored the path of the bison. When a storm comes, as a herd they gather and go into the storm. There is discomfort but it passes faster!
In coaching I now know the root of inaction is anchored on a dysregulated nervous system and lack of self-trust. Yes, there’s also fear of failure and fear of success, but that’s part of the story not the root of the weed. The root is a fear that you can’t handle what comes.
Inaction is incredibly costly to business and life. Your flywheel starts later with every delay, indecision is invisible but creates a heavy emotional load, you learn less, you erode at self-confidence, self-worth, and self-trust, and you quite literally lose money.
Here’s the perfect antidote so that everyone can be more like the bison:
Daily nervous system regulating rituals (simple breathing exercises, a walk outdoors, brief meditation)
Self-awareness (what triggers your avoidance, what are each team members strengths, etc)
Turning larger task into bite size actions empowering you to learn, adjust, and course correct
Inner work to shift subconscious blocks
Making space in each week (5 minutes or so) to check in with your intuition and write a few notes of reflection (like you’re guided to do in the workbook attached below
Last week, you set an intention.
This week asks you to ensure you’re acting on that intention, one tiny step at a time.
Simple coaching tip: Check-in with yourself and your body when you notice you’re avoiding a task. What can
