| Running a business, or being in any leadership position, | | | | They are afraid they will die. It's part of their prey |
| for that matter, is a lot like riding a horse. A horse is | | | | animal instincts. |
| bigger than you are. If you are leading fifty people, they | | | | When Baby finally got tired of my nagging and |
| are bigger than you are. It is possible to handle a horse | | | | insistence, rather go into the water, she decided to try |
| with force, fear, and intimidation, but eventually one of | | | | to go over it. And for some reason, when she jumped, |
| two things will happen. Either the horse will shut down | | | | I was afraid she was "getting away." She was finally |
| and not perform, or he will buck you off. The same | | | | doing what I asked, and I grabbed as hard as I could |
| thing would happen if you are leading people. If you | | | | on the rope. Within seconds after the rope zipped |
| continually tried to bully them, they would stop working | | | | through my hands, the learn burn blister were forming |
| for you, or they will buck you off and find another | | | | on my palms and fingers. |
| leader. When I was just beginning learning to work with | | | | What I have learned in the years since then is that if a |
| horses, I was often unintentionally unfair to them. One | | | | horse is refusing to do something, it's not because she |
| example was when I trying to teach my horse, Baby, | | | | is impertinent. It's because she is afraid or believes she |
| to cross water. | | | | can't do it. Now when I teach a horse to cross water, I |
| It was a shallow ditch no more than a foot deep, and | | | | use approach and retreat. We get close to the water, |
| only about ten feet across. Baby was refusing to go | | | | then back off. We'll circle back around and come a |
| into the water. I was getting more insistent. My | | | | little bit closer each time. I'll let the horse stop and sniff |
| strategy was to apply more pressure by swinging my | | | | the water. We'll take all the time it takes to make sure |
| rope toward her when she moved away from the | | | | she is comfortable, and eventually, she'll step into the |
| water, and taking it off when she moved toward it. I | | | | water calmly like it's not big deal, and it was her idea. |
| figured I was offering her a pretty good deal. Do what | | | | The same strategies work with people. It's possible to |
| I ask, or you get popped by the end of my rope. | | | | get results by yelling a people or threatening to fire |
| I actually had no idea how unfair I was being to Baby. | | | | them. But those leadership tactics create resentment in |
| First, because a horse's eyes are on the sides of her | | | | addition to the fear. Under those circumstances, people |
| head, she has very poor depth perception, especially | | | | will learn to be subversive and quietly resist. If things |
| with things that are close to her. She could not tell the | | | | get really bad, they will revolt. They will buck off the |
| water was shallow. It could have been ten feet deep | | | | boss, so to speak. It's much better to find out how to |
| for all she knew. Second, when she stepped into the | | | | motivate followers by using respect and understanding. |
| mud, the softness and squishiness were very | | | | Not only will they appreciate the understanding, but if |
| uncomfortable and scary. What I perceived as lack of | | | | they believe they are safe, they will walk through the |
| respect for my authority was actually fear. And when | | | | water willingly. |
| horses are afraid, they aren't afraid they will get hurt. | | | | |