What is your Rabbit Pose?

As a child of the 80s I experienced a particular dread when it came to the annual Presidential Fitness Test. This physical fitness program conducted in the U.S. from the mid-1950s until 2013 was designed to increase strength and flexibility, the latter of which was nothing short of humiliating for my long-legs and stiff muscles. Needless to say, by the time my education was complete and I found myself in my early 20s in a suburban yoga studio I did not expect many accolades from the ever-observant instructors. I needed blocks to simply sit in a Lotus position, and don’t even think about an elegant Forward Fold. However, the most unexpected thing happened one afternoon when the instructor began introducing us to a new pose, Sasangasana or Rabbit Pose. My instructor stopped the class and asked everyone to look at me. She said with astonishment, “That is the most perfect rabbit pose I’ve ever seen.” I thought to myself, “Well this doesn’t even hurt.” I wouldn’t have thought much of my momentary Rabbit Pose fame except that it happened again, and again, at any studio I practiced at. And I came to realize that everyone has a rabbit pose: the thing which they were uniquely designed to do, so much so that “it doesn’t even hurt.”

My second public confession is this, it took me 20 years to find my career rabbit pose. I majored in Engineering because math comes easily to me, but I quickly found that running calculations, conducting site walks, and reviewing shop drawings was more akin to touching my toes than a rabbit pose. I began a quest to align my skills to a role that I could call my rabbit pose and traversed project controls, project management, program management, and even a brief stint in proposals on this quest. I am incredibly grateful for each of these roles and the ways they grew me and continued to hone my direction towards the north star that was my purpose, my rabbit pose. I learned about clients and the complex challenges they face. I learned about project financials and the careful balance of schedule and quality and scope. I met many professionals along the way who have found their rabbit pose, designing and executing in alignment to their skills and their passions. But I also met many who, like me, had not quite found their purpose. And, to my surprise, I found that what I enjoyed most was helping them on that quest. Suggesting roles, making connections, and speaking truth into their incredible strengths so they could say “yes” to a stretch assignment or a role they would have never thought of before. I also noticed that I especially enjoyed taking complex ideas and making them simple, whether for a client seeking Earned Value Management reports or a professional who was struggling to grasp the meaning of EBT, I could build a simple graphical approach that “didn’t even hurt.”

After twenty years of stretching and straining, I am excited to have recently moved into the role of Director of Talent Development and Management at Black & Veatch. While it isn’t effortless and no one need stop what they’re doing to observe my contortion, I do have a deep sense of assurance that I have arrived very near what I was meant do – my rabbit pose. For years I have read Leadership and Talent books for fun, like on vacation. And I can’t resist asking everyone, from my esthetician to loan officer, “How did you decide to do this for a living? Do you love it!?!” My deepest hope every day that I log-on is to help my fellow Black & Veatch colleagues realize their best selves, find their rabbit pose, and help us collectively add the most value possible to our clients.