Into the Storm – The Buffalo Company Culture
The American Buffalo was first noted in North American in 1625 roaming the North American continent in huge herds that were crucial to the Native American way of life.
The buffalo nearly became extinct though aggressive hunting of the animal for it’s hide, horns and meat. The Buffalo still has cultural and spiritual significance in the Native American culture today. The Buffalo is a very intelligent animal.
At Buffalo Builders, we refer to ourselves as “the Herd”. It is a way of referencing ourselves as a team, it is a sign of strength in numbers, it is a sign of family. The Buffalo has survived for centuries on the great plains of America throughout winter storms, blistering summers, and even foreign hunters after their hides.
One of the very unique qualities of the Buffalo is how the herd reacts in a winter storm. When a winter storm is rolling in on the plains, the Buffalo close ranks as a herd. They band together and share each other’s strength and warmth as they begin to walk directly into the face of the blizzard. The Buffalo knows instinctively that the fastest and best way to get out of the storm is to band together as a herd, and head right into it.
We all have our personal storms to endure, but we need not face our work-related storms alone. The culture we work to establish in our PM meetings is one of safe harbor. A place where we can identify our project storms, band together with our strength and knowledge as a herd and walk head on into the storm.
This is our best way of solving the challenges that arise. It keeps us close. We share our strength, experience and knowledge with each other to get on the other side of our storm.