Working with horses helps build dynamic leaders. Using the horses’ sound sense and unerring judgment, you can refine your leadership style and develop new skills. Today’s complex business environment demands that special something more in a leader – the ability to motivate, inspire and connect deeply with others. The insight of the horse helps nurture these capabilities as a leader.
The horse is looking for someone to lead his herd, even if the herd is just you and the horse. And each horse looks for different leadership qualities just as various people require diverse leadership styles to motivate and lead them. This allows you to be flexible and fluid in your relationships.
You become the leader of the horse, learning as the horse mirrors your emotions and energy. The horse gives you direct, instant feedback encouraging shifts in approach and communication until respect is earned.
Observing and interacting with horses allows you to experience the difference between leading with confidence utilizing a consensual model, or leading from fear and domination. We help you identify and experience the impact your leadership approach has upon the horse. The horse assists by remaining honest and authentic, providing clear reflections.
The horse reveals your level of personal engagement with the process. The horse will willingly respond to leadership that is authentic, respectful, and confident. However they will not respond favourably if you attempt to trick, cajole, manipulate, bribe or plead for the horse to follow you.
In stressful environments, either at home or in the workplace, healthy communication is vital! In working with horses, you start to understand how you are communicating all the time through non verbal body language which is heavily influenced by emotions.
As horses are preyed upon in nature, these sensitive, intuitive beings have a highly developed ability to respond to their environment. Subtle changes and nuances that you may not be aware of can provoke reactions in the horse providing you with profound insights. Their responses help you identify behaviours that impact your life and career in negative ways or keep you from moving forwards. Horses require honesty in their relationship with you and respond to clear and authentic communication with trust and full engagement.
Horses do not deal in ambiguity. When horses communicate they are not trying to please you or avoid confrontation, what you see is what you get, and they expect the same from you. What you tell them is what they react to. If you are not clear about what you want from them, it becomes obvious, because they either do what they think you have asked of them, or they become anxious because of the ambiguity. Horses show us how much communication and trust are linked. They need you to be clear about what you want and clear about how you ask for it.
Horses thrive on direct heart connection, joining together in partnership without ego. They demand we show up in each and every moment as our ‘real’ self. Horses as coaches show us the critical importance of relationship in leadership.
This dynamic equine approach to teaching leadership will positively affect your personal and business relationships.
The goal of FEEL is about feeling the experience of the majestic horse that whispers to us about our ability to communicate with others effectively and to listen to ourselves authentically.
