Conclusion

Guided by the bison, we recognize we are stewards of our company's soul, our nation's soul and assume the burden of leadership.

Guided by the bison, we acknowledge that diversity is our strength, purpose is a human right and reckoning, repair and redemption is our nation's spiritual path. We congregate at work to serve and empower others, to activate our unique purpose, fulfill our potential, nurture community and achieve our mission. We bring the bison home with us and let it guide our family and civic life. In so doing, we activate the purpose of this nation, repair the damage from our nation's misspent youth and achieve redemption.

Without the bison's guidance, the eagle will continue to desecrate all we hold dear. It entrenches political gridlock, hatred, inequality, violence and makes it impossible to respond to our escalating crises (biological, ecological, racial, economic and cultural). Without the bison, the eagle will continue to segregate our communities, siphon wealth into white suburban fortresses and defund our healthcare, education and infrastructure, and imperil our ability to co-lead the world's interdependent economy.

To claim our role as leaders in this battle, we have to SOBERLY meet our white supremacist reality as it is, adopt the bison as a SYMBOL of our leadership and nation, unlock the POWER of our unique purpose, understand the STAKES of this battle, re-humanize our organizations with an ethos of communal and holistic CARE, make thorough use of the two most powerful TOOLS in our hands (purpose activation and small, diverse group learning), and deploy the key elements of transformation, while listening and attending to our people's need and the emerging market with AGILITY.

A brief summary:

SOBRIETY. In Chapter 1, we explored how business is regarded as both good and evil, and that white supremacy is the ongoing result of our collective efforts. Leaders must soberly meet this reality as it is, as well as acknowledge the enormous power of business and our responsibility to steward it toward the collective good and national reckoning, repair, redemption and renewal.

SYMBOL. In Chapter 2, we confronted the sad truth that our nation's soul is gasping for breath. The hyperindividualism of the eagle is dividing and killing us faster by the day. A new symbol must now guide us as leaders and as a nation into the next chapter of our shared story - the bison.

POWER. In Chapter 3, we learned that your legacy is the keystone to your future, your company's future and the future of our nation. It has to be seen, felt and believed in order for anything else to shift.

STAKES. In Chapter 4, we faced the consequences of failing to activate the bison, and leaving our culture to the eagles - the continued dissolution of our democratic institutions, fraying of the social fabric and moral good, climate change, the decline of our relevance on the world stage and the desecration of all we hold sacred.

CARE. In Chapter 5, we explored a rehumanized vision of every business unit and every people function.

TOOLS. In Chapter 6, we examined purpose and belonging as the foundational bison capacities to activate, and purpose activation in small diverse learning groups as the primarily methodology. If we have any chance of breaking free of the eagle and responding to our formidable crises, it will be through the powerful combination of purpose and belonging.
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AGILITY. In Chapter 7, we explored a few key elements to evolve our organization, consecrate our purpose, and meet the needs of our people and the emerging world. We learned we cannot afford to analyze, debate and wait - we're not smart enough to figure it all out in advance. We must move. Now.

Only business can save the nation. We have the tools, principles and a good enough plan to take the next step: Work with your CHRO and/or CLO to activate purpose and belonging for your whole company using small, diverse peer learning groups. ​But most importantly, do not wait.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank, 1944

Move. Now. Everything we hold sacred depends upon it. The world is watching. Hoping. Waiting. Praying.