Birds of Prey

My attention to birds and their wide range of behaviors has been piqued since witnessing a mid-air fight between two falcons during my ascent to the very top of Four Peaks (just outside of Fountain Hills, AZ).

Of recent and particular interest to me is the grackle, a bird full of personality, pep and a general zest for life. Dressed in tailored, shiny black coats, grackles can be found foraging on lawns and fighting in the company of females (like many of the men I know). 

Unlike other members of the animal kingdom (and half of the business world), their bellies don't roar with hunger. To them, survival is plenty. Grackles don't hunt for food, they run into it.

Last week, I witnessed a grackle different than others I had studied. From the moment this bird noticed its prey -- a grasshopper in this case -- it stalked it tirelessly and exhausted all options in chasing it down.

When the grasshopper pivoted, the bird piloted a new flight plan. A new attack.

When the grasshopper jumped, the grackle dove.

When the grasshopper leapt for the tall grass, the bird wisely countered.  

Throughout the hunt, the grackle stayed low, kept its hopes high, and in the end ... achieved nothing. The grasshopper slipped away through a series of high-arching hurdles.

At that moment, the difference between businesses who play offense versus defense availed itself to me.

Companies must remain proactive at all times. They must view the marketplace as a living, breathing, ever-evolving challenge. Problems arise quickly. Responses must come faster.

One must strive to look to the Heaven for thanks, not for help. You must become a self-sufficient bird of prey, not an overly-reliant bird of "pray."

How?

Despite a computer- and machine-driven economy, you must learn to take your work personally. Every day.

It is only when you give all of yourself through grueling work and late nights that you can understand the full value of a profitable fourth quarter, a cost-of-living raise, or a corner office with a view ... of birds.