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[Music]
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I would guess that most of you have been
through some kind of change in the last
few years. Am I right?
Maybe for you it was a change in your
job situation, your health, or your
relationships.
Or maybe you're on the precipice of
change right now, wondering what's next.
And it's not just in our personal lives.
Change is happening everywhere. It's in
our systems, our culture, and our
technology. And let's be honest,
sometimes change can feel exciting.
Other times it can feel messy. and
really intense.
Change doesn't just disrupt our
routines. It reaches deep into our core
and activates something within us that's
instinctive and untamed.
Change awakens the animal inside us.
What if I told you there are four main
animal archetypes? And when you know
which one shows up for you, then you can
lead change with more courage, more
compassion, and more purpose. I created
this archetype system after over 20
years implementing change and digital
transformation for Fortune 500
companies. I was really intrigued
because I noticed similar patterns
across different teams. So I wrote a
book about it and I've been all over the
country leading workshops with this
framework.
I've also learned from my own
experiences navigating major career
transitions and health challenges how
change deeply affects us and even how
our environment plays a role.
Now, I want you to think of a change
that you recently faced or maybe one
that you're going through right now.
Perhaps you moved to a new city or
you're figuring out what your next
chapter looks like or you're building a
business or learning a new skill. You
got it.
As I explain these animal archetypes, I
want you to think about which one feels
the most like you, your go-to mode when
change shows up.
Okay, let's find out. When change knocks
on your door, are you a coyote, a moose,
a bear, or an ostrich?
And here's something important. Every
one of these animals has two sides.
There's a strength side and there's a
shadow side. So keep both sides in mind.
The part that helps you move forward and
the part that might hold you back.
As Carl Young said, "Only at night is
there no shadow."
Let's start with the coyote. Coyotes
thrive in uncertainty. They've learned
to adapt in cities, mountains, and
deserts. So, if your change animal is a
coyote, it means you're a go-getter and
you embrace change. You don't want to
fall behind the curve. So, you face
change head on. Your shadow side is that
you might overlook some details or get
burned out. Does that sound familiar?
I remember working with a coyote. She
was excited about change and dove right
in. She was up at 2 a.m. pitching ideas,
always 10 steps ahead. and she'd say
things like, "Let's fail fast and
disrupt the status quo."
That was after she had like five
espressos.
Sometimes she moved too fast and not
everyone could keep up. Her strength,
agility, her shadow side was being a bit
overzealous at times. But when she
intentionally slowed down, she could
reconnect to purpose and values. She
would check in, bring others along and
get their inputs and really think about
the problems they were trying to solve.
That's why you need to understand your
shadow side. Otherwise, you might end up
like WY coyote, going too far too fast,
only to find out you're going in the
wrong direction.
So, for the coyotes out there, go ahead
and be bold. You might just need to
pause, ground yourself, and set
realistic expectations.
Let's move on to the moose.
Imagine a moose running through the
forest with its giant antlers. What
happens?
Inevitably, it gets stuck and the
antlers get locked up and entangled in
trees and other obstacles. So, if your
change animal is a moose, it means every
time you try to make progress, you hit a
wall. Ow, my antlers. That happens to a
lot of us. We want to move forward, but
we face real barriers. And moose don't
always ask for help. But that's the one
thing you might need to do because it's
really hard to get unstuck on our own.
I've met many a moose and I've been one
myself. There was one moose I worked
with. She wanted to contribute and make
an impact, but she wasn't sure how. She
didn't have access to the right tools
and resources, and her manager was very
busy. After a while, she started feeling
a little lost and discouraged. She
almost gave up. But luckily, she found
another path and asked someone else for
help. See, moose are strong, but the
shadow side can appear when they start
to feel powerless and complacent. So, if
you're out there and you're feeling like
a moose, think about where you're
getting stuck and what resources are
available. And when your antlers lock
up, the tendency might be to push even
harder. And that's not going to do much
when you're running into a brick wall.
It might be better instead to take a
breath and look at the bigger picture,
reframe what stuck means. It doesn't
have to define your whole story.
Next, we have the bear. Bears are
rational. They like to hibernate, to
evaluate a situation before making any
moves. So, don't poke the bear and rush
them. Doesn't work. If you're a bear,
you're probably wondering, "What's the
cost of change? What's the impact? What
are the consequences?" Let's think
through this more. Your shadow side
analysis paralysis.
Let me tell you about a bear I know.
He's thoughtful and practical. And when
his team decided to implement change,
the bear was like, "Whoa, slow down,
coyotes. what are we doing? We need a
plan.
And he was right. But the bear had to
learn to balance planning with
execution.
So if you're a bear, go ahead and weigh
your options. Just be mindful when
you're trading speed for certainty. And
what helps is establishing clear shared
goals, breaking them down into
actionable steps, and testing and
learning to take pressure off having a
perfect plan.
And finally, our beloved ostrich.
When it comes to change, the proverbial
ostrich prefers to bury its head in the
sand, hoping that change goes away.
So, if you're an ostrich, you might be
thinking, I just don't want to deal with
this right now. So, you disengage, you
distract yourself, maybe you hide from
change. And these are valid coping
mechanisms when we feel overwhelmed.
But they can also lead to missed
opportunities.
Someone recently confessed to me that
he's an ostrich. He had spent 10 years
in the same role and he knew the job
inside and out. But things were
changing. He had to learn new tools, new
processes, new technology. It was a
really big shift.
Well, actually, he used another sword to
describe it.
and he'd say things like, "I can't be
bothered with that right now. I'm
sticking to what I know. Why fix what's
not broken?"
But over time, the ostrich felt left
behind as the rest of the team adapted,
and it became harder to catch up.
You see, the ostrich's shadow side is
clinging on to comfort and safety just a
little too tightly and getting tunnel
vision. Well, what's their strength? If
you're an ostrich, you're probably
really good at focusing on what you
know, protecting your energy, and
holding on to tradition.
So, if you're an ostrich, no judgment.
We've all been there. Try to understand
what you're avoiding and why.
And really just get curious about your
triggers.
Or you can leverage your strength. Maybe
you do need to conserve your energy
right now and focus on other priorities.
And maybe there is something worth
preserving about tradition.
So, what do you think is your primary
change animal? And before you answer,
let me see if I can make this even
easier to understand. You're at a
crossroads. If you're the coyote, you're
gonna sprint as fast as you can.
If you're the moose, you're kind of
stuck in the mud for now. If you're the
bear, you're studying the map and you're
planning your route. And if you're the
ostrich,
you're like, "Eh, maybe later." And you
take the same familiar road.
So, what's your first reaction?
>> Excellent.
You know what's interesting is that you
might I think you might be thinking
you're hybrid possibly.
Very possible.
Like a like a bear with feathers. You
contemplate and then you withdraw. Or
like a coyote bear blend. You jump in
then you step on the brakes. Yes, we can
be a mix of all the animals but one
tends to lead the way. So, I'd keep that
in mind. And it can be situational. It
can be based on your environment and
your life stage. So, these aren't boxes
to put yourself in. They're more like
mirrors for self-reflection.
You know, it's really interesting when I
use this archetype system with teams. We
learn a lot about where people are and
what they might need. And we even learn
about relationship dynamics and
perceptions. So, for example, you might
think you're being rational like the
bear, but someone else might perceive
you as rushing into things like the
coyote.
So, our change animals help us become
more aware of ourselves and our
interactions with others. There's no
right and there's no wrong. But often
there's a choice and we can learn from
each other. We can have compassion. And
the hard part is that we can take
accountability.
So, here's your challenge. The next time
you're at a crossroads or dealing with
change, pause and ask, which animal is
driving right now?
And then ask, is this helping me or
holding me back? Do I want to stay where
I am, shift direction or perspective,
soften my approach, slow down, speed up,
or even speak up?
Because change is wild. But it can it
can lead to something better, something
new and different.
We can learn to tame our change animals.
And maybe you'll not only find your way,
you'll light the path for others, too.
Thank you.
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