On Tribal Traditions in Business and Life!

What's Your Year-End Tribal Tradition?

First let's increase your Word Power with a Few Native American Tribal Definitions:

Good Medicine :  "Anything that is healing to the mind,body or spirit" 

Council Fire:   "A Council Fire is called in Native American Cultures when decisions need to be made that affect the whole tribe.  One earned the right to sit on the Council with years of being truthful, brave, compassionate, sharing, a good listener and a fair judge."

Pow-Wow :  Also known as a "quickening for the people".  Pow Wows brought old friends together and many a night were filled with stories of what had occurred since the last gathering.   Tribes would share news , methods of tracking, fishing and hunting and play games linked to tribal pride.  At the end of a pow-wow, everyone was filled and renewed with a Sense of Unity.       

What are the traditions and gatherings that bond your family and/or business?  Do you have a year-end gathering or tradition that inspires loyalty, shares lessons learned during the year and renews the tribe's spirit and common vision? In December, I had the privilege of guiding an incredible business tribe in their version of a 2 day Pow-WOW!  The  Team of Siebert Realty, in Sandbridge, Virginia have made it their team's tradition, thanks to the wise elders of this family owned business,  to gather every year to review each department's adventures,  best practices and new strategies.   It has become their tradition and Yes, it has inspired a sense of common business vision and team unity that I have not witnessed for some time.  Yup there are tales of tracking, fishing and hunting (from the sales department), games linked to friendly competition designed to build team unity and Strategic Council Fires , to map out strategies for improving customer service to owners and guests.

The photo here shows the Siebert tribe being linked by a web.  After all individual members are connected, ties are cut, and bracelets remain for individual team members who wear it as their sign of tribal unity during the team's challenge.   This particular team building activity is based on a Native American "Blessingway Ceremony" to help prepare and support expectant mothers for their new arrival and life transition. I had attended a Blessing Way earlier in the month for one of my dearest friends, Larissa, who is expected to give birth to her first child on December 24 ^th.  Larissa had gathered all of the women who were important to her and would be to her new daughter to share the wisdom of our mothers.  Council Fire of Elders?—You Bet!   And No,  not one woman present, including Mom,  will dare take off her bracelet  until Labor is over and baby, Luba has arrived in the world.   

In a world filled with constant movement, nomadic career and life changes, annual rituals and traditions serve to re-energize and re-connect tribal members.   So my question for you in this month that we associate with family and gatherings is what are your tribal rituals?  What symbolic activity or gathering, can those in your business and/or family tribe depend on? What traditions will they pass on to new employees and new family members and in so doing honor and remember you and remember your tribe's mission?

No, handing out turkey to everyone in the tribe doesn't count!   It's well "Just Not Special or Meaningful".   Whereas Tribal Traditions bearing the marks of   "Good Medicine" are 1) Symbolic ---linked by a physical memory/keepsake given to each team member that can't be eaten and therefore discarded and forgotten 2) Personal---by the sharing of a wisdom learned during the previous year by each member of the tribe. Native American cultures pass the "Talking Stick" where the only person allowed to talk is the person holding the stick. 

Not to dwell on the Turkey, but can we really think that one person saying grace could be more meaningful than everyone at the tribal table sharing personal thanks for a particular blessing they received this past year. As I recently gathered with my own family tribe in Virginia, we passed the talking stick and each of us spoke from our heart,  as we shared one thing we appreciated about each family member.   It will sustain us for yet another year until next year's Family Pow-Wow.

It is fascinating to me that as far back as Native Americans,  the need was seen for an annual meeting  to discuss the plan and what was learned in last years business cycle .  In short, despite the fact that so much has  changed  in our current world of blackberries, nothing has replaced the tribal need for an annual face to face connection.

-Source for Native American Tradition:  Jamie Sams— The Discovery of Self Through Native Teachings: To plan your Annual Team Retreat and Business Planning Session contact the Go Wild! Go GREAT  Team.  info@gowildgogreat.com