8 LEADERSHIP LESSONS I LEARNT FROM HORSES

Are you looking to learn some valuable leadership lessons that you can apply to your professional and personal life??Look no further.?As a lifelong horse lover, I've learned some?invaluable?leadership lessons from?being?with?my horses, Luigi and Domino, lessons that can apply to anyone.?And the best part? You don't need any riding experience?to benefit from these insights! From presence to humility, these eight lessons from horses can help any leader succeed in the?leadership arena. So let's take a closer look at what these four-legged teachers have to offer.

1.?????Presence:?a trait that is crucial when you are around horses. Whenever my mind is wandering when I am with either with Luigi or Domino, walking or riding them, they do something which brings me immediately back to being in the moment, and forever grateful of this lesson they constantly teach me and it is always the most rewarding experience, walking with them, feeling their gentle power as they move.??As a leader, presence is of the utmost importance to avoid reacting from autopilot and being able to listen, know what risks to take, what is really going on instead of believing the stories we create about what is happening around us – giving us perspective and connecting us to our values and purpose.

2.?????Clear Communication:?Horses communicate with each other using body language and subtle cues.?I remember when I first started working with my first horse, I realized that if I wasn’t clear myself first, I wasn’t clear with them, and my uncertainty or doubts showed in subtle body cues and they immediately picked up on them. Once I was very tired and I didn’t want Shamir to stop again in the same spot, and as we were getting close to the spot, I said to myself, “you stop, I sell you” – my subtle body movement that came with that mental message was enough for him to move forward after a micro-second of hesitation. Horses are extremely sensitive to our non-verbal cues, very much like humans, the difference is that we are not outwardly aware of it, we react to it without even knowing why.

3.?????Trust and Respect:?Horses are social animals and form strong bonds with their herd members. They also require trust and respect from their handlers.?Luigi, our horse here in Quinta Marugo, is extremely attached to the other horse, Domino, so every time I want to go out alone for a ride with him, he makes it difficult to catch him, as he doesn’t want to leave Domino – so I need to earn his respect and trust with slow movements, confidence in myself, demonstrating to him that he can trust me to take care of him while we are out in the countryside.?As a leader, it is important to establish trust and respect with your team to build strong relationships and foster a positive work environment.?And that starts also with trust and respect of yourself.

4.?????Adaptability:?Horses are adaptable creatures that can thrive in a variety of environments. My work with my horses has solicited in me the flexibility and adaptability to try different ways to communicate and be with our horses. As a leader, it is important?that we be?adaptable and able to adjust to changes in the business landscape.?And I can sure tell you that after 4 years managing the construction of our retreat center.

5.?????Patience:?Horses require patience and consistency in their training.?And that has been the biggest lesson for me – I want Luigi to trust me immediately, but it takes time, and that is the time dedication I need to give to him to earn his trust.?As a leader, it is important to have patience and understand that change takes time, whether it's in the form of training or implementing new processes.

6.?????Self-Awareness:?Horses are highly attuned to their own bodies and emotions. They also have the uncanny capacity of acting as mirrors to us, helping us become self-aware. There was a time during this project that there was a lot of anger in me, and Domino, our other horse, became quite aggressive when I was near him (never dangerously, but ears back) - he was just mirroring my inner state. Lately, that I have resolved a lot of that anger, Domino is so much more relaxed around me and almost seems like a different horse.?As a leader, it is important to be self-aware and understand?our?own emotions and how they impact our team.

7.?????Perseverance:?Horses are resilient creatures that can overcome obstacles and challenges.?And if they don’t want to do something we are asking them to do, they will persevere in what seems stubbornness, and again, perserverance is the name of the game if you want to lead a horse.?As a leader, it is important to have perseverance and be willing to push through difficult times to achieve success.

8.?????Humility:?Horses have a way of reminding us that we are not always in control. When I am working with Luigi and Domino, they are constantly reminding me that at the end of the game, I have so much to learn from them and my inner wisdom, and that I can only control myself, nothing of the outside world is in my control. ?As a leader, it is important to be humble and recognize that we can learn from those around us, including our team members and even our four-legged friends.

Horses have taught me valuable lessons about leadership, communication, trust, adaptability, patience, self-awareness, perseverance, and humility, making the inner game of leadership an enjoyable albeit sometimes difficult game.

By observing and working with these magnificent creatures, I have gained a deeper understanding of myself and how I can be a better leader in both my personal and professional life. If you have the opportunity to spend time with horses, I encourage you to take it - the lessons they teach are truly priceless.

And should you be interested to try this out soon, we are running a human-centric experiential leadership retreat with horses to learn the above lessons in a transformative setting and container from the 28th to 30th of April in Portugal. https://www.quintamarugo.com/retreat/human-centered-leadership