3 Leadership Qualities that Horses Teach Us

By Razelle Janice Drescher 

Three top leadership qualities that are highly significant in the workplace are passion, authenticity, and invitation.

Passion is the magnet that attracts others who are excited about being part of something they believe in.

Invitation channels that passion into a specific possibility for creative collaboration in business.

Authenticity creates the foundation for trust which is essential to unlocking each employee’s true potential. If authenticity is lacking, there can be an underlying mistrust in a workplace that may influence an employee’s willingness to take risks, contribute their ideas and engage fully.

How Can Horses Help?

Horses show us where we stand as leaders. They recognize authenticity that is fueled by passion, creating an invitation to participate in an idea. By engaging with horses, (on the ground, without equipment),  we very quickly understand how inspiring we are when engaging in an idea, project or business with others.

If there is a lack of authenticity, the horse will not fully engage. Lack of authenticity often shows up as a hidden agenda. The person is saying one thing but their body is expressing something else. This creates a misalignment that the horse recognizes and doesn’t trust. This gives the person an opportunity to understand their impact on others more fully and address the misalignment.

The gift the horse gives us is their ability to reflect back to us,  in a non-judgmental way, how people experience us. We then have the opportunity to try on the new leadership model, first with the horse and then with people.

Authenticity and passion work together to invite the horse to join our idea. If the passion isn’t there, the “fuel” for the invitation is missing.

These three leadership qualities work together to create a leadership model that is inviting, not controlling, based on trust, not fear. This kind of “Intentional Leadership” opens the door to a workplace founded on well-being. Horses show us how.

Coming soon… Find out what intention and presence have to do with Intentional Leadership!