Okay, be honest.
How many times have you left an online meeting and had to pee like a racehorse?
Turns out this phrase originated from the 1970s when horse trainers began using diuretics that caused racehorses to shed as much as 10 pounds before a race.
I have worked with extremely committed people in non-profits who are incredible racehorses – always running to the next task, focused on the next fence post. We reward and uphold this behavior by setting up a culture of back-to-back meetings and long work hours.
This is especially harmful in mission-oriented organizations. Many of us are bringing our own trauma into this work (it is perhaps why we came to this work in the first place). But if we continue to approach it as a race we may be missing the needs of ourselves and others around us.
We are using an oppressive model with the hopes that it will bring us to liberation.
There are small things that can allow us to remove our blinders on our way to the finish line:
- Asking ourselves why we are running and where we are going
- Listening to people on what they need to keep going
- Paying attention to emotional, intellectual, relational and physical needs
- Pausing to see how well our process, timeline, activities are supporting us in achieving the outcomes we want
And of course, checking in on if we are giving people time to pee.