Bird, Watching the Future
Strategic planning is one of my superpowers.
Need a three to five year blueprint grounded in moving a vision forward? Hire me. This superpower has been a cornerstone of how I built my career. It is how I helped leaders and teams envision the possibility of achieving the quintessential “big, hairy, audacious goal” in the not-too-distant future.
And yet, somewhere along the way, my superpower got stuck in a relentless pattern of:
Rooting plans in short-term thinking to multi-generational challenges and opportunities
Unconsciously limiting the creative exploration of the future in order to imagine another way
Measuring success via constant activity and movement of pragmatic and ambitions goals
Burning out teams — often in poorly resourced environments — by prioritizing efficiency and urgency
Looking back, there’s a layer of shame I feel in quickly applying frameworks to get to a strategic plan and move to operationalize short-term wins for a decade plus. Don’t get me wrong: I’m proud of my superpower and I can also recognize the ways in which it has catalyzed change. But how I’ve cultivated and nourished this superpower — rooting it in urgency, constant activity, and scarcity — limited the power of my own stillness — and ultimately the power of possibility.
Clearing the Vision Board
In 2020, my coach shared with me a beautiful podcast with Dr. Sarah Lewis and Brené Brown: “The Rise, the Creative Process, and the Difference Between Mastery and Success.” I listened to this as I was struggling to write what would later be titled “The Strategic Intentions of The Highland Project” — a re-defined business plan rooted in seven generations forward visions and set of guiding beliefs to shape how The Highland Project would form and evolve. Dr. Lewis’ definition of mastery would begin to root my own definition of legacy — of being in constant pursuit of something just beyond my reach.
“Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognate—perfectionism—which is an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success—an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved line, constant pursuit.” - Dr. Sarah Lewis
But at the time back in 2020, the podcast represented a challenging mirror to my career and how I had defined and pursued strategic planning.
“Repeat success can become dysfunctional persistence… I wanted to understand how you can get out of the rut of dysfunctional persistence, because often times, when you’re very gritty, when you are focused on success, you can convince yourself that your tactics are always appropriate.” - Dr. Sarah Lewis
“Repeat success can become dysfunctional persistence.”
“You can convince yourself that your tactics are always appropriate.”
Whew. Hi, it’s me.
Rooting plans in short-term thinking to multi-generational challenges and opportunities — check. Unconsciously limiting the creative exploration of the future in order to imagine another way — check, check. Measuring success via constant activity and movement of pragmatic and ambitions goals — check, check, check. Burning out teams by prioritizing efficiency and urgency — check, check, check, check. Repeat again.
I felt like an imposter facing looming business planning deadlines. My vision to build a legacy of sustaining Black women leaders differently was confronted by my superpower advocating I write a plan rooted in urgency, constant activity, and scarcity. Such an oxymoron: a futurist vision for sustainability operationalized by a charismatic facing her past of short-term visions and burnout.
Dr. Lewis proposes that the pursuit of mastery requires the willingness to wipe clean the vision board and begin again. And that is exactly what I would have to do.
I would have to be willing to begin again.
I would have to wipe clean how I cultivated my superpower if i was going to build The Highland Project and my legacy. I would have to surrender to new ways of nourishing my vision in order to see possibility — in order to see the future.
Enter: Birdwatching
Yes, birdwatching. “She has lost her mind” — is what you’re probably thinking. But stick with me!
There was a perfect storm in 2020: shutdown, exploring the Ramble, and finding my sense of possibility again.
Bird (verb): to observe or identify birds in their habitats
Watch-ing (verb): look at or observe attentively over a period of time; exercise care; keep vigil as a devotional exercise
Future (adjective): that is to be
Future (noun): time that is to come; an expectation of advancement or progressive development
Merriam Webster Dictionary
My walks through the Ramble and the North Woods would soon become longer and longer as I’d often find myself staring for what felt like hours with amazement at birds large and small. I loved catching the beauty of their feathers, even if for a few fleeting moments. I’d find myself in trances watching the herons stand still, looking at the horizon and settling the water to see the movements of fish.
Bird watching began to show me a blueprint for finding my vision and accessing my imagination. For me, birds are the ultimate futurists — representing the power of possibility in stillness. For centuries, the power of their ability to fly captured the envy of humankind. They carry on their wings mythical qualities and legacies — like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. They are the ultimate time travelers — passing through vast terrains using their generational instincts about migrations. Their bird song along the way has inspired poetry and more.
(Re)Building My Vision
Studying and sitting in the stillness of birds began and continues to help me to have the courage to wipe my vision board clean. To surrender to stillness and possibility in order to see the future.
Red Tailed Hawk
Traveling vast distances at incredible speeds, the Red Tailed Hawk envisions the path forward. Because she can travel through multiple terrains in any given day, she is known to thrive in a variety of environments. Her distinct red tails are said to represent the soul, aiding the healing of wounds. The red tail is believed to be the foundation of spiritual growth and awareness.
Legacy Visioning Questions:
What is on the other side one generation from now for my niece and nephew? Two? Three? Seven?
In the words of Octavia Raheem, “Does it have to be this way?”
What’s my definition of thriving? What practices and antidotes do I need to thrive?
Great Horned Owl
Owls are designed for silence and moving their wingspans with stealth - hearing what others cannot. The Great Horned Owl is said to show up in times of contradictions. She is seen active when others are quiet, and resting when others are active. She sees the future by looking inward and facing her fears.
Great Blue Heron
Often seen returning in between seasons of transformations such as winter to spring, the Great Blue Heron represents evolution and upcoming change. She sees the future through meditation and deep contemplation.
Legacy Visioning Questions:
As the season changes, what am I celebrating?
What am I shedding that will no longer serve me in the next season?
How will I nourish myself through change? What intentional adaptions do I need to begin now?
Learning from the birds who were here before me and will likely be here after me have nourished and redefined my superpower of strategic planning to one that prioritizes stillness in search of possibility over project plans with seemingly inflexible deadlines.
I invite you to use these legacy visioning questions over the next three months to wipe everything clean — to surrender to the stillness of possibility. Join me in watching the future through the stoic Great Blue Heron, the time traveling journeys of the Red Tailed Hawk, and the silence of the Great Horned Owl.
In still of possibility,
Gabrielle
Credit: Brown, B. (Host). (2020, November 23). Brené with Dr. Sarah Lewis on The Rise, the Creative Process, and the Difference Between Mastery and Success. [Audio podcast episode]. In Dare to Lead with Brené Brown. Parcast Network. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-dr-sarah-lewis-on-the-rise-the-creative-process-and-the-difference-between-mastery-and-success/
