Strategizing For Inauguration Day and Beyond? For Now, Please Don’t.
Here’s what to do instead.
Inauguration Prep Part 1: Caching
Right now, like many of you, I am head-down during this compressed time between Thanksgiving and winter breaks. As I navigate grief about a future many of us didn’t foresee, I’ve been doing some heavy compartmentalizing—a coping mechanism I’ve become quite adept at over the years.
In conversations with some of you, I understand that it feels impossible to wrap our minds around what the new year(s) will look and feel like.
As the next administration not only hints at, but gloats about, deporting our neighbors, shuttering the Department of Education, and actively muting anyone who dares to speak truth to power, you’re locked in to what’s right in front of you because, how the heck do you contingency-plan when there’s a horse loose in the hospital?! (See John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous at Radio City Music Hall for reference and a chuckle!)
The answer is, you don’t. You don’t contingency-plan for others right now. You also don’t freak out.
Here’s what to do instead.
We need to “cache”—not barrel forward, not make plans, not map out the twelve-point risk analysis. Not just yet. Right now is about shoring up, burrowing in, and gathering our energy for the long haul.
What do I mean?
In the fall and early winter, a variety of bird species begin their instinctive ritual of finding, sorting, and hiding food to sustain and nurture them until springtime. Some gather seeds and nuts and store them in multiple spots (called scatter hoarding) to ensure they have enough rations if a predator finds one of their stashes. This is called "caching," and it’s a strategy used by multiple animal species to ensure they are prepared for survival, no matter what impending threat may come.
It’s not a one-and-done event. As the environment changes (weather events, predators snatching a ration, lack of food where it may have previously been sourced, etc.), birds need to continuously recalibrate, adapt, and adjust.
So, what does that look like for us?
It looks like asking yourself: What do you need as we prepare our organizations for what is to come post-inauguration? What is your sustenance, and how will you build up your reserves so you can stay in the long game?
Some ideas:
Reflect:
First, reflect on what gives you energy right now. Not what the self-help, Oprah-best, over-orchestrated, New Year’s resolution rigor, top-ten activities for changing your life, journaling-every-day, life-sucking “you-can-do-it-all” gurus tell you will give you energy.
What gives YOU energy RIGHT NOW?
For me, it’s delighting in a squirrel hanging upside down while stealing bird seed from the foolproof bird feeder, in their own act of caching. It’s doing hot yoga one day and jumping into freezing Lake Michigan the next. It’s walking my dog on a break from overthinking to write these Substack essays with an aim of not overwriting. I get energy from saying no. I get energy from saying yes. I get energy from giving advice, and I get so much energy from getting advice.
My energy shifts with the sun and the moon, what I see, and what I feel; with the inputs, and with the outputs. I bet yours does, too.
So take notice and take care of your energy.
Reground:
What do you value? Why do you do what you do? Who do you want to be?
I value courage. I value a sense of possibility. I value connection and compassion. I value creativity and curiosity. For some reason, most things I value begin with the letter C. And so does the word "cache"!
I write these Substacks because I want to live by my values. I consult with organizations that share my values because my world and theirs will expand and create change if we align together. I want to be someone others know will help them stretch, create, and sustain. I want to be a starling flying with my flock, which means I can step back and follow sometimes and step forward to lead other times.
Dig into your "why" and let it be a guiding light.
Release:
What mindset, belief system, or way of thinking and being are you holding on to that keeps you mired in not feeling “enough” or overly responsible?
For years, mine was about being the best at anything I was doing. That sometimes meant seeking the biggest title, the most accolades, or even the most “likes” on a post. I am (working on it all the time) a creature of a society that tells us to fill every hour with action, that hard work is a sign of success, that rest is a sign of weakness, and that the goal is to win.
Since I started my consulting business and confronted the brutal truths of the world, my frame has begun to shift. Success for me is living into my values. It’s about continuous learning and being willing to change my mind. It is seeking less and less and less external validation.
What belief system is weighing you down? How can you let it go?
I know so many of you want to be prepared for what’s to come—and that’s not wrong. My next essay here will dig into the strategic and practical activities and actions to consider investing in to sustain your organization through this next phase.
But, for now, take care of yourself. Address what will hold you and sustain you for the long game so that you can have the energy and wherewithal to adapt, adjust, and recalibrate as we navigate the unknown. That is the only contingency plan you should endeavor right now. Doing so will lead not only to your survival but also that of your organization and its people.
Now is the time for you to cache. I would love to hear in the comments what that looks like for you.
Steady (as she goes),
Lynnae
What I’m listening to on repeat:
Something else that gives me energy and helps me to cache is curating playlists. This one, Wintering 2024, is themed with songs for a winter season. It’s not your “grandma got run over by a reindeer,” retail background music, though. Mostly throwbacks for a cozy night settled in, with a few rockers in the mix. It’s exactly 2 hours long (that was unintentional, but it’s very satisfying), which is perfect for a drive far enough outside of the city to a cabin in the woods. I hope it helps you reflect, reground, and release.
Let’s partner.
Notes of Gratitude:
Special shout-out to Carol, Vivian, Katie, Megan, Shane, Bobbi, Jenn, Terri, Mindy, Beth, Michelle, Nicole, Adam, Heather, Alli, Andrea, and Jill for becoming paid subscribers; I am so deeply grateful.
Thank you to everyone who has chosen to be here. I welcome and crave your input and reflections.