Danger. Pay attention.

I know.  I said I wouldn’t write any more about the puppy, but you know he provides such great business/life lessons, that I couldn’t resist sharing this one.

He’s a handsome fellow, now a year old, completely trained and knows the rules. Because he’s been so good at sticking to his “territory” we’d taken to shooing him outside when he needed to go.  And in the cold weather, we were more than happy with this routine. He would go outside and bark when he wanted in.

All was well.  Until Tuesday.  When he decided to explore and visit our new cows, ten of them, and the bull.  He thought it would be fun and games as he played in their field, darting in between, getting them to chase him.  My heart was in my mouth as I watched him, thinking just one kick from the bull and it could be game over.  No matter how much we called him, he ignored us. He was having way too much fun, not realizing the danger he was in.  Eventually he came out.

But we are watching him like a hawk again.  Putting him on a leash so we can keep close tabs on him.

To me, it illustrates that no matter how much we trust people, and you think they know the rules of the game, you can’t just assume all is OK.  You have to keep your eye on the ball – be it staff, clients or competition.  Just because something appears all right, well, maybe it’s not.

Now, I am not suggesting we all get paranoid about schemes, plots and theft – more that we can’t afford to get complacent.  We can’t afford to ignore small signs, red flags that make you suspicious.  We can’t assume that others will behave the way we would.  Sadly not everyone works with integrity.  So listen to those nagging doubts, they may be telling you something.

As for Brodie – his little frolic in the field has cost him.  He needs to earn back our trust that he will stick within the boundaries of “his space.”  Until then, we’re watching. You could say, like a teenager caught breaking a curfew, he’s grounded. 

And I suspect, it is going to be a l-o-n-g summer. 

Finding your tribe

We have eleven black Angus cows on the farm this year, and when we first got them, they would advance towards you in a row – sort of like the cowboys in Magnificent Seven, except there’s eleven of them – all sizes and including some calves.

At first they all stuck together, the leader moved and they all went with her, but as they became more comfortable with the space and each other, they've sometimes branched off and explored on their own.

The other night, they were making a dreadful racket and apparently a snapping turtle (who knew they existed) had bitten one of the cows, and as a result she was crying out in pain.  The others joined in, rallying round with sympathy and support.

It always strikes me as ironical that as a city slicker, with a business named Company of Women (acronym  COW), that I should end up living in the country with cows. Who knew?

As an aside, yes, I was aware of the acronym when I started the organization, in fact, my first newsletter was called News from the Field.  I figured that those who got it would get a laugh, and those that didn’t… well, too bad.

But I digress, what has struck me lately is that our cows and Company of Women actually have even more in common.   Instead of a herd, we are a tribe and just like the cows, we come together, go off and do our own thing and come together again, especially when one of the group needs support.

Being part of community that cares makes life so much more meaningful.  You have someone who will watch your back, will “cry out” just likes the cows when you are hurt and boost your morale when you need cheerleaders or just cheering up.

We all want to belong and when you are a solopreneur or even when you are at the top of your organization, it can be lonely out there.  That’s why it is so good to meet up with like-minded women who are on the same path, face the same challenges as you and who have the same passion for what they do and want to achieve.

As we often say at Company of Women, you don’t have to be alone when you own.

All in a Day’s Work

Well it’s official. I am a farmer’s wife. I just gained my badge.

Let me explain. This year we have taken on six cows, and like their predecessors, they have tended to keep a low profile, and we only eyeball them when they come up to the trough for water, which given this heat, has been more often than usual.

So as I was driving down our driveway, heading for the office, out of the corner of my eye I spotted one of our cows – in an open field, far from where she should have been. She was guzzling with glee at the new fodder in this field, unperturbed that she now had an audience – a rather well-dressed one at that!

We have a farmer who helps with the cattle, so I went over to give him a shout. Fortunately he was up (it was early) and over we went to round up our delinquent cow.

After quick debate, we decided the best way was for the two of us to get her to voluntarily take herself back to the field.

Hugh chased after her and as a result, she headed in my direction. Now I don’t know about you, but I am not well-versed in what to do when a cow is coming straight for you, or for that matter, on how best to get it to go anywhere.

So I stood firm, waved my arms and shouted Whoa. I know – it’s a cow, not a horse, but hey – it worked and after a couple of shouts of whoa – she jumped, yes jumped, over the fence to join her buddies.

Lesson learned – there may be some merit to the rumour about the cow jumping over the moon – because they can sure jump.