Anseras, what?
What does ‘Anseras’ mean, is a question I get often. The name Anseras is inspired by the Latin word for geese. Ok. Doesn’t really answer a lot does it? Why geese, Latin or otherwise, for a jewelry company. Good question!
I’m a word nerd and think names are important. When trying to come up with a name for my business, I spent a lot of time asking myself questions like, “What do the names I’m considering actually mean?” “What do they say about me, about my business?”
Still, why geese?
Most people have a ‘thing’, the thing that makes other people think about them, symbolizes something important about them. My thing is geese. Whenever family members hear geese honking, they automatically think about me.
I didn’t spend most of my life loving geese; mostly I thought they were scary. When my kids were small, we used to take them to a park with a pond that was frequented by ducks and geese. These were large, well-fed geese who were not shy about letting you know they wanted your bread. And when the geese are about as big as your kids, they’re scary. That was the extent of my interactions with geese.
Much later I moved to a city that was in the flight path of geese migrating south. I moved to this city without knowing anyone, without having a job. It was a lonely time, and stressful. I moved in the fall and spent a lot of time outside, which is where I became fascinated with geese. I would hear them honking as they flew over and look up and see the formation. Before I knew it, even if I was inside, I would run outside to see them fly over when I heard them. It was a small thing, but it brought me a moment of joy.
Not long after this, I also began the program in which I earned my master’s in industrial organizational psychology. One of my professors was ALL ABOUT geese. I learned in depth about how geese behave and why they are a great role model for business and life. And my life-long appreciation of geese was established.
Geese are super-efficient in their long-journey treks. They fly in a V-formation which conserves energy, not just for each individual goose but the flock as a whole. The flapping of each bird’s wings also creates an uplift for the one right behind it. Helping each other makes the group stronger overall and reduces each individual bird’s workload. Each bird is important, they make the group stronger.
And let’s talk about participatory leadership. So, the V-formation is good for aerodynamics but it’s hard work to be the lead bird. Guess what? When the leader gets too tired to continue, they drop back to the last spot where they can rest and let someone else take the lead. Wouldn’t that be nice in everyday life? Get help when you’re too tired to go on. Let someone else have a turn leading?
And the honking? Sure, it’s loud, especially if your house is directly under the flight path, but it’s also very important. Geese honk at each other to communicate and to keep the group energized. Imagine being on a team where everyone communicated, let each other know what’s going on, encouraging each other on in their journey.
And lastly, the thing that most struck me, is what happens when one of the birds gets sick or injured. If a bird is too ill, fatigued or injured to keep going, it will drop out of formation to go to ground. Nothing surprising about that. But. It doesn’t go by itself. One or two birds will drop out with it and will stay with the injured bird, offering protection, warmth, etc., until it’s either well enough to rejoin the flock or it dies. Only then will the remaining birds leave it and find their flock again. The birds in the flock are not only valued for their performance, who can fly the fastest, stay in the lead the longest, or honk the loudest. They are valued because they are a part of the flock. That’s all.
So, Anseras Design was born, I wanted to be reminded of these lessons every time I saw the name. To make work more humane, to value the people you work with, and take care of each other. Thus, the whole is stronger, and everyone profits. Right now, Anseras Design is just me. But as it grows and people are added, this is the type of company I want to be a part of.
Blessings,
Lori
