By Brittney Patton, Consultant at Laridae
One of the things I value most about strategic planning is the opportunity to pause and make meaning together.
Recently, we supported a community-based mental health organization in Northern Ontario through a strategic planning process grounded in listening: engagement sessions, partner conversations, an online survey, and time with the Board and leadership team.
Wisdom shared with care
Partway through the process, Indigenous wisdom about bison was shared with me by Tyler Twarowski, a member of the team with expertise in Indigenous research and knowledge systems. Tyler is a self-described proud Métis from Saskatchewan, who lives and works in northern Ontario. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Education with research focus on amplifying Indigenous voices and worldviews in mental health care in Canada.
It was received in keeping with protocol (following appropriate cultural and ceremonial practices), with gratitude and the offering of sema (sacred tobacco), acknowledging the responsibility that comes with carrying this knowledge forward.
This is the teaching Tyler shared with me: when a storm approaches, bison turn and walk directly into it. By facing the storm, they move through it more quickly. Counterintuitively, running away only extends the amount of time spent in the storm.
How the bison pathways shaped the work
This teaching ended up becoming integrated into the strategic plan in the form of what the organization called the Bison Pathways:
- Resilience
- Respect
- Healing
- Community
These pathways became lenses for how the organization would face challenges, practice accountability, strengthen care, and move in coordination across the region. As we continued shaping the plan alongside leadership, the language of “turning into the storm” offered another way of understanding the work.
For example, the image of the herd moving together clarified what stronger coordination meant in practice. Community became less about “partnership” and more about shared responsibility. No single program or organization is responsible for carrying the whole journey. Instead, organizations need to move together to achieve a larger goal.
To take another example, Respect was seen as encompassing:
- Relational accountability
- Follow-through
- Transparency
- Consistency
This was especially true when engaging in relationships with Indigenous communities and equity-deserving groups.
Likewise, Resilience is not simply about pushing harder. Instead, it was framed as a reminder that avoiding necessary change can prolong strain, and that facing issues directly, together, can shorten the storm.
What I appreciated most about this experience was that it created space for more than one way of knowing. The Bison wisdom did not replace the data, engagement findings, or measurable commitments in the plan. We did not set aside metrics, environmental scans, or operational realities. Demographic trends, sector shifts, budget realities, partner plans, lived experience, and story all informed the final direction.
Yet, at the same time, we made room for story and Indigenous knowledge to shape how the organization understands its role and responsibilities. Bringing these perspectives together made the plan feel more complete and grounded in the community it serves.
Looking ahead
The final plan is practical and focused. It outlines clear commitments from 2026 to 2029 and reflects what was heard across the region, and woven throughout it are the Bison Pathways:
- Resilience in the face of change or challenge
- Respect as relational accountability
- Healing as shared responsibility
- Community as belonging, reciprocity and coordinated caret
Strategic planning often emphasizes what we will do. This process also asked how we understand the work we are doing and who and what informs that understanding.
Reflective Questions for Your Organization
If you are entering a planning process or navigating change, you might consider:
- What forms of knowledge are shaping our strategy? Are we drawing only from data and mandates, or also from story, history, and relationship?
- How might different ways of knowing help people connect more meaningfully to our priorities?
- When challenges arise, are we avoiding the storm or facing it directly and collectively?
- What does relational accountability look like in our partnerships, especially in our commitments related to Truth and Reconciliation?
- Is there language or imagery that helps our strategic direction remain usable when implementation becomes complex?
These questions are not about adding something new for the sake of it. They are about broadening how we make sense of the work.
Continuing the Journey
We do not position ourselves as holders of Indigenous knowledge. Wisdom is shared within specific relationships and contexts, and it carries responsibility.
This process reinforced that strategic planning can make room for multiple ways of understanding change. When it does, the plan can resonate differently across an organization. In this case, Indigenous ways of knowing reminded us that strategy is not only about priorities and timelines, but about responsibility, connection, and how we choose to move alongside one another.