What I learned about business from a Murder of Crows
How have you chosen to renegotiate a contract when the conditions changed?
The Crow Brothers broke our agreement last week.
We made this accord some 10 years ago when more than 25 crows made my garden their summer home.
Crows quickly shift from pranksters to marauders when their numbers surpass three.
I promised them that I would keep my sense of humor about their antics if they kept their numbers low.
There is a gang (aka a murder) of 6 crows in the garden now.
I have been learning how to flow with the trickster energy of crows for more than 25 years.
I have also been helping entrepreneurs make friends with their own trickster tendencies so they can be the dynamic leaders they desire.
I have learned some important business lessons from these Crafty Corvids.
Be clear about who is included in agreements, and who is not.
Crows have generational memories, so if you harm a crow, they will tell their friends & family for years to come.
But since they embody the trickster archetype, they feel no obligation to extend their agreements to their flock-mates.
Some clients can be like crows.
If they have a complaint about your services, they may freely spread the news to anyone who will listen, but they will rarely confess that they regularly missed appointments, didn’t do their homework, & quit before the end.
Making agreements with Wily characters is Tricky
I made the “no-more-than-3-crows” pact with that massive murder of Corvids of yesteryear.
But I didn’t stipulate that all future generations must abide.
If you have ever signed an agreement with a vender without reading the fine print, you may have been surprised when a graphic designer retained the rights to your images, or your videographer kept all the master files.
Be careful to read the fine print, ask for clarifications, & make counter suggestions before signing on the dotted line.
When you change the agreement, be prepared for new tricks
Since it’s likely that the elder states-birds of a decade ago are dead and all deals are off, I decided to decorate the garden with lots of flashy mylar pinwheels & streamers.
Crows hate mylar.
In response, they have disrupted nearly every plant marker, killed tender seedlings, & ravaged my tomatoes.
When you are renegotiating an agreement with a new owner of the contract, there is no need to get petty.
Take the time to listen & discover how both parties can get their needs met.
I’ve reopened dialog with the Crow Brothers & will soon remove the mylar.
When was the last time you were surprised that a dissatisfied partner only told part of the story?
Where have you signed an agreement without reading all the fine print?
How have you chosen to renegotiate a contract when the conditions changed?
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