Lessons from the back yard:

The Squirrel and the Hawk

By Ron Mahurin, Ph.D.

For the past several months, we’ve been watching a male and female hawk nesting in a tree just beyond our back fence in the corner of our neighbors’ yard. We’ve got three bird feeders in our back garden, and you can imagine what kind of danger these two hawks have been to the birds, and, yes, the squirrels.

So, this morning, my wife, Jeri, witnessed a back-yard showdown.

One lonely squirrel, on what may have seemed to be a suicide mission, found its way up into the tree where the two hawks were nesting.  This was no mistake.  The squirrel headed straight into the danger zone and right out onto one limb where the female hawk sat. The female opened up its large wings and the squirrel undeterred stood up and faced down the hawk.  Amazingly, rather than devouring the squirrel, the hawk flapped its’ wings one more time and then flew off. 

Emboldened, the squirrel worked its way back down the main trunk, not in retreat, but rather to reposition itself for round two.

This time, it was off to face down the larger male hawk. Up he went, back up the tree to the other side.  Again, the same thing happened. The squirrel moved within about two feet of the male, stood up on its hind legs, and must have chattered, spit, or whatever squirrels do in times of danger. The male hawk, stood tall, flapped its wings, and just at the moment you thought the squirrel was about to become a morning breakfast snack, the male hawk flew off into the distance.

The squirrel made its way back down the tree and proceeded to move to our bird feeder to gain its well-deserved reward. Within moments, the bird feeder that had been abandoned due to the danger in trees was filled with Blue-Jays, Cardinals, Finches, and Chickadees.

As Jeri told me the story, I couldn’t help but see some interesting parallels and perhaps a lesson or two from this creature of nature that certainly might apply to the times in which we live.

The Danger Zone

That lone squirrel knew that it was in a danger zone.  Under normal circumstances, the smartest thing to do would have been to simply “seek cover” and wait for the moment that the hawks went hunting at a neighboring birdfeeder.  But whatever drove that squirrel, there was something in its nature that said “No Retreat:” take the offensive, move into action, and confront the threat head-on. Courage? Craziness? Desperation? The motivation isn’t all that important. The action and the decision is the point.

COVID-19 is the hawk in our world now. It’s in our nation, our communities, our neighborhoods. It’s lurking in our backyards and it’s dangerous, fearsome, and seemingly bigger than we are.

Standing Strong - Together

As a leader, you have had to make fast, difficult, and in some cases “dangerous” decisions. Yet like the squirrel, you’ve had to stand your ground, make those calls; to protect and defend those under your care.

The defeat of the hawks may only be temporary. There are other dangers in the neighborhood – including those hawks that will certainly return. The danger is all around.

Yet by taking action, determining to move ahead, with courage and conviction, we can learn from this backyard encounter.

The lesson may break down just a bit here, though.  While that squirrel acted alone, we cannot do so. We need to marshal our best thinking, explore new insights, and determine how we best lead in the places we are called to serve.

Our Challenge and Our Opportunity.

We don’t have all the information we need. Our resources that were already limited before the crisis, are even more depleted. Yet we press on. We fight, we stand our ground. And we must look to each other and our people for new ideas, new insights, that will prepare us for wherever the next assault may come from.

If you’re wondering how to process and prepare for that next assault, I would love to hear from you. I’m here to climb that tree with you; to face down the hawks - those uncertainties and the threats and the dangers - to find direction, clarity, and hope. 

Contact Ron