Good Monday. Today in my weekly blurb I talked about Leadership and learning from horses. When I facilitate public speaking or presentation skills it is all about becoming the leader in your industry. So when I came across this old English proverb today I thpught I would share my take on it. Show me your horse and I will tell you who you are. It is the epitome of natural horsemanship, and equine assisted learning and therapies. From the age of 3 I dreamt of owning a pony or horse, but it wasnt until I was 30yrs old, that I finally bought one myself. I had ridden cheeky little ponies who would try and wipe me off at the gate post, to majestic clydesdale beautys that were as calm and gentle as they were huge. Yet it wasnt until I owned my first horse that I really appreciated the old proverb. In the good old days the shiny coat, the healthy well fed horse signified status, the best of the best could be afforded by the people with the most money. Sadly though I would think that many a great horse was destroyed by its wealthy owner, without them even knowing it, because of sheer pigheadedness . Now I know it is much more than the appearance that is the meaning behind the saying. You see horses give you clear, non judgmental instantaneous feedback. They respond firstly to heartrate, then energy but most obviously by body language in a split second. Horses require boldness, self restraint, proactivity and creativity. They look for trusted leadership and if they see you as the leader, will look to you whenever they are unsure. They will follow their leader and partner to the end of the earth. However, if you fail to demonstrate you can be trusted and a great leader, they wont come near you and they will start training you, to get out of their way or give them their food quicker etc. They will play chicken with you in the paddock just for fun, and just refuse to do what you ask of them. They will push you to beyond your limits. Does this sound a bit similar to good or not so good leadership to you? Whenever I see a horse just walking all over its human and see the human pathetically trying to get their horse to do something I can tell that this person probably lets other humans walk all over them too. If I see a highly strung horse in lower level competition, I will bet that its human owner is worried and nervous about the ride? I know that my present horse does reflect how I am feeling and how good a leader I am being, although he is always testing me to check and see if things have changed. But he teaches me to be a strong and gentle leader, with consistency and follow through. He teaches me to be responsive and not micromanage, but also not let little things slip. I know not to ask too much in one go as he has to process the new skill. He knows I will start by asking gently and persistently until he gives me what I want and then I will reward him and let him know he did it right. I look back on my professional career and think how my leadership has changed for the better. . What does your leadership look like? How do you show up to your herd? Have a wonderful week and become a great leader.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 08:48:03 +0000
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