Leadership with horses and people
I read a wonderful piece on leadership this morning that surprisingly came from my “Daily OM Horoscope”. It applies to leadership with horses as much as it applies to leadership with humans. I have put the Daily OM quotes in italics for the discussion.
If you’re assigned a leadership role today, you may feel compelled to act superior to others. Perhaps your insecurities are causing you to question your ability to successfully guide others, leading you to act tough as a defense mechanism.
(Me: Acting tough and feeling superior as a defence mechanism – I had not thought of that as getting in the way of leadership, but ain’t that the truth!)
You will likely inspire more confidence and trust in the people you’ve been tasked to lead by being yourself and admitting your worries. In doing so, you can show your charges that you, like them, are only human and are subject to the same anxieties and misgivings.
(Me: This is especially important to leadership when we understand that what we say is often not so important as what we think and what we feel. When you read Pathway to Heaven, Zen Connection with Horses and the upcoming book The Magic Questions, you begin to realise what a huge adverse effect our unspoken words and our unacted on feelings can have on other people.)
You can work together as a unified front to face the challenges set before you. The people you lead today will likely feel more comfortable following you if they can see that you are authentic and willing to relate to them.
(Me: So what is “authentic”? We hear the word a lot, but what does it mean to be authentic? To me it means simply listening to my emotions, understanding them and acting on them – which automatically brings me to a place where I am genuine, where I am not faking anything. When I fake confidence with my horse, he knows that I am faking no matter how deeply I cover it up. Not only does it make my horse feel uneasy, but when I fake confidence, I miss the opportunity to listen to my or my horse’s fear and change it to feeling real confidence.
Me still: When I fake feeling good when I am in fact feeling quite different – then the people in my life react to that even if they don’t know why I make them feel uneasy.
Me still: Because my unspoken thoughts and unacted on feelings can have a huge adverse effect on both my horse and other people too.)
Being authentic rather than forceful is what will inspire others to follow your lead.
(Me: I have noticed that being forceful feels like a “push” when I am on the other end of it. And I don’t know about you, but I resist being pushed. Being forceful increases resistance of some sort or other.)
When you feel vulnerable, coming on strong may seem like the perfect camouflage. People, however, will sense that you are masking your fears and will question your ability to lead.
(Me: Here is that unspoken stuff having such a big effect again.)
If you can own your worries, people will admire your courage to be genuine and be inspired by you They will also appreciate your honesty and sincerity, as well as your willingness to appear vulnerable. They will go with you rather than follow.
(Me: Pause a moment and notice the power in that statement – they will go WITH you rather than follow…)
To them, you will seem courageous yet approachable-like someone who can relate to their feelings and concerns.
(Me: When you read Pathway to Heaven, Zen Connection with Horses or the upcoming book The Magic Questions, you will notice that when we listen to all of the feelings and emotions that we experience, we are relating to other’s feelings and concerns. We are much, much more connected to others – people and horses – than I had ever realised. Understanding that connection and acting on it for great results, is the focus of Pathway to Heaven and Zen Connection with Horses and the upcoming book The Magic Questions. )
Being honest and open with the people you lead today can help you become their leader of choice.
What a great little article on leadership disguised as a horoscope! Google “Daily OM” if receiving a more spiritual horoscope tickles your fancy. It’s free.
Pathway to Heaven on Earth is being given away as a gift at the moment to promote my upcoming new book The Magic Questions, so email me jenny@bookswithspirit.com if you would like that gift.
If you are up for something really special with your horse, then Zen Connection with Horses will be for you. It has been getting rave reviews from world class horse people. Click here to buy Zen Connection with Horses with my personal “love this book or get your money back” guarantee. Or browse around People’s Stories and Readers letters for some inspiring stories. (The buttons are on the right hand side of this page.)
