by laura hunter on June 21, 2011
I believe that as leaders we always walk a fine line between competence and complacency – and it is often so easy to stumble across that line.
In our defense it can be difficult to elicit the feedback we need. Even when invited to do so, people are usually reluctant to offer up honest, objective opinions of their leaders. Nevertheless it is our responsibility to put ourselves into situations in which we can learn and grow while continually improving our skills.
I have worked with horses for many years and have become a fairly proficient horse trainer and herd leader. I now design and facilitate workshops to help people develop their leadership skills by working with horses. It didn’t occur to me until recently that I had become so busy teaching others that I was neglecting my self-improvement. In my role as ’the expert’ I had stumbled across that line into complacency.
This ‘aha’ moment occurred when I took my new Australian Shepherd puppy Annie to our first obedience class. I am a passionate follower of Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, because he does with dogs what we do with horses. I looked long and hard and finally found an instructor with that same philosophy of demonstrating calm assertive leadership through body language. I took Annie to our first class thinking that it would be pretty much of a snap for both of us.
Well, in less than five minutes I discovered that, while I can move an eighteen hundred pound horse just by looking at it, I was lacking the timing, balance and basic motor skills necessary to maneuver a 25 lb puppy. Annie and I staggered around the room looking like drunken sailors while listening to such encouraging suggestions as “ try to look like a leader” “be more assertive” and “don’t let your dog herd you!”
I was completely out of my comfort zone and my professional ego had been crushed somewhere on the floor under Annie’s bouncing paws. I looked over at my husband hoping for some support but he was laughing too hard to be of any help. In the fifteen seconds that I spent glaring at him, Annie, looking for someone with some leadership skills, had gone to sit quietly and obediently at the instructor’s feet.
I considered slinking out the side door, abandoning both husband and dog, but instead I soldiered on – and when the class was over I signed up for another one the next day. Now, six weeks later, obedience class is the highlight of my week and takes priority over all other commitments.
I am loving the challenge of looking at new ideas and learning new skills in my own professional field. At times it is rewarding and at other times it is frustrating and humbling, but it is never dull. I have a different perspective and more enthusiasm for my work with my horses. More importantly, as a student once again, I have a lot more empathy for my own students.
I am no longer worried about becoming too complacent in my work. This experience has inspired me to develop some new ideas for our equine leadership program. My work with Annie is just beginning and plans are already in the works for another Australian Shepherd puppy and possibly some canine-related programs way down the road. I am hopeful that all these learning challenges will keep me on the right side of that line for at least a few more years!
by laura hunter on June 13, 2011
A friend of mine is in a new relationship. The other day she half-jokingly asked if she could bring the new man up and give him a horse to work with. We could observe him and determine whether he has any underlying behavioural traits that she should know about.
Although we laughed at this scenario the truth is that people’s patterns of behaviour show up pretty clearly when they work with horses. As prey animals dependent on strong herd leadership for survival, horses need to assess a person’s leadership potential very quickly.
In a herd the leader is the horse who most effectively controls the movement of the other horses. The easiest way for a horse to test your leadership abilities is to simply step into your space and wait to see how you respond. I have seen it happen hundreds of times in our workshops.
People tend react to the horse’s push in one of two ways. They either politely step back, giving up their position, or they reactively push back at the horse. Unfortunately neither of these actions is particularly effective.
I tell everyone that there are three ways in which you can move a horse. You can push the horse away from you, you can draw him towards you, or you can block him to stop or redirect his movement. All three actions are performed with your body language, energy and intent without physical contact. Horses are so perceptive and sensitive that they respond instantly to the subtlest physical messages from us.
Your effectiveness as leader depends on how well you can balance these three actions with the specific needs of your horse over different situations.
Most people would prefer to draw their horse along with them. This works for my two Austrian mountain ponies, (the golden retrievers of the horse world), who love people and are happy to comply. It does not work at all for my herd leaders who are quite dominant with a ‘prove yourself to me’ attitude. They will not comply until you have earned their respect.
The problem with pushing is that people often put emotion into it. Sometimes the push is very reactive as a result of being crowded or pushed by the horse. Some people are clearly anxious or nervous when they push because they are uncomfortable being assertive. Others push too hard and get very wound up emotionally.
The block is the most effective action to take with a horse in almost every situation. A block creates a boundary for your horse and horses enthusiastically respect boundaries. It is positive, powerful and pro-active. It replaces emotion with calm assertiveness. And it is surprisingly easy to learn.
I teach my students to stand in a calm centered manner with their feet solidly connected to the ground and to breathe slowly and steadily. Once they have achieved this state of calm assertiveness they are always amazed to discover that they can stop any of my horses in their tracks simply by pointing their finger or their bellybutton at them. The boundary is established not by the pointing of their finger but by the underlying intent and message of their body language
While it is second nature for me to routinely establish boundaries or blocks for my horses I often avoid doing so in my professional and personal life. I want to believe that people will naturally understand and respect my limits but that is naïve. There is always someone out there who will test my boundaries. Failing to establish those boundaries clearly up front inevitably results in a pushing match later on. I hate pushing matches.
When I establish boundaries in the arena with the horses I get a positive reaction every time. The horse drops its head, relaxes its body and often yawns or begins to lick and chew. All of these equine behaviours are signs that the horse is releasing stress and relaxing in the presence of calm assertive leadership. While I haven’t seen my human counterparts reacting quite the same manner I would like to believe that they are just as positive and willingly respectful of my boundaries.
by laura hunter on May 27, 2011
Let’s face it , as leaders we all secretly (or openly) hope that the people we lead actually like us. But that need to be popular, to be perceived as a nice guy, can sometimes interfere with our ability to lead. Nice doesn’t always equate with effective.
When people work with my horses they feel it is important that they gain their horse’s affection. I explain to them that all the nose petting in the world is not going to make your horse love you. Horses really only care about a person’s leadership ability. Show them your leadership skills and they will follow you anywhere.
A case in point is Bailey, my Clydesdale. Bailey is huge, beautiful mare that seems to exude calm, confidence. For twelve years she has been the cornerstone of our therapeutic riding program.
Last year Bailey had an unfortunate mishap in our arena. One of our new volunteers tied her improperly on the wall. Her feet became tangled in the too- long rope and she panicked and fell. From that day on she became increasingly afraid of any kind of ropes on the ground. This fear gradually turned into a generalized anxiety causing her to be very nervous and spooky.
This was a big issue for us as Bailey needed to get past her fears and back to work, both for the sake of our program and for her own self-confidence.
Whenever Bailey came into the arena and showed any signs of nervousness or anxiety well-meaning people would run to her to speak soothingly and stroke her sympathetically. More than a few were a little shocked when I put a stop to all this well-intended but misguided sympathy.
Instead of offering her sympathy I worked Bailey over every rope I could find to throw on the ground. I roped her feet and applied pressure on the rope. I made her walk over tarps, I threw bags at her, crackled water bottles on the ground in front of her and spun whips over her head. We worked through each of these situations until she was calm and accepting. I never forced her physically but I used all of my physical and emotional energy to create boundaries and expectations for her.
It was an exciting few weeks but in the end I had my horse back – as much as I ever would. Although Bailey has regained much of her confidence I also know that horses, like elephants, never forget. I watch closely, and if I see any of her anxiety returning, I step in immediately, put my foot down and push her to work through the issue.
The boundaries and expectations that I place on Bailey demonstrate my belief in her. In pushing her to overcome her fears I am telling her that I know she has the ability to do so. Because I am consistent about this she in turn trusts me as her leader to provide the support, the encouragement and the push she needs at times.
I try to bring that same message to the people who work for me. When I hire someone I am essentially telling them that I believe they can do the job. If I don’t follow up with consistent boundaries and expectations I am not supporting that belief. I want my staff to know that when I give them feedback or when I demand more from them it is because I know they can rise to the expectations I place on them. It ‘s a far more effective way of demonstrating my belief in them than a pat on the back – or the nose.
