Horse Sense is the Instinct that Keeps Horses from Betting on Men by Marc LeVine

In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you've just described hell. - Charlie Munger

A co-worker just lost his wife and seems especially fragile, at the moment. A teammate expresses a great deal of empathy to try and comfort his hurting colleague. Believing his expression of caring has been graciously delivered, he moves on to discuss other unrelated topics. Prior to ending the conversation, he forgets himself and begins to share his beautiful weekend plans that include him and his still very much alive lovely wife. ?He tells a romantic tale of returning to the place they initially met and their plans to enjoy a wonderful dinner there as a married couple still hopelessly in love.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a beautiful story filled with rediscovery and deep affection for a beloved spouse. But on this day, it resulted in painful emotions for the bereaved one. Now in hindsight, perhaps it was not the best time to share these weekend plans.

We are all sometimes victims of our "brain farts." The non-thinking work partner in no way ever intended to create such sadness for someone going through such painstaking grief, but he inevitably did.? An extra moment of thought might have prevented his words from ever leaving his mouth and striking his coworker’s in the most vulnerable area of his compromised heart.

Having good “Horse Sense” can be a blessing in any career.?It can also be a blessing in all human interaction.? Horse sense is the ability to make good judgments or decisions?on the fly by giving caring thought to the circumstances surrounding those interactions.?Horse sense is simply common sense in the most colloquial terms.

The actual expression was coined back in 1832, when its originator was referring to certain qualities often found in horses or, perhaps, tied to the abilities of hostlers and coachmen handling these animals and understanding their immediate needs and interpreting their reactions to various stimuli. ?For example, if a horse is grazing in a field and it comes towards you when you are nearby, you can be sure it likes you.?Certainly not the right time to disappoint it.

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On the flip side, if the ears of a horse are laid flat against its neck and its head is raised upright, an astute animal lover can interpret that the horse may be getting ready to lunge at him. The whites of its eyes are also usually showing with its mouth wide open, and its teeth protruding. The person observing this knows to avoid approaching the horse, especially from behind. It may be trying to let you know that it is angry and wants you to stay away or go away.

People are not so different from farm animals. We also send out signals about how we are feeling and what may find disturbing to us under certain circumstances.?We need to be able to read their expressions and body language and know how to avoid making them even more anxious and temperamental.?After all, most of us know when it is not a good time to ask for a raise at work.?Don't we? If we just upset our boss or found him/her to be already upset by something, we may want to hold off on that type of discussion for a while.

When people are upset, they often say things they don’t mean. Sometimes, they DO say things they really mean, but would never share in an abrupt and inconsiderate manner. ?There may be stark consequences when this happens for all concerned. ?This is why we should never put other people in a similar position.?

After all, the man grieving his wife may remember the poor judgement of the co-worker, who stepped on his own feet and went where a savvier individual would never have gone.?Therefore, a negative judgement may have been made about that person’s “horse sense.” It may follow him for a long while and call into question his ability to do his job properly, lead others effectively, converse with clients successfully and think well on his feet, reliably.

We all need to conduct situation analysis' wherever we go and in whatever situation we may find ourselves.?It becomes even more difficult when we are traveling abroad and dealing with people of other cultures. What may be acceptable behavior in his/her own circle, may be seen as offensive in someone else's

Developing good horse sense is not all that difficult when you learn the meanings of certain situations and the general reactions of people dealing with them. The astute individual carefully studies diverse situations, recalls past experiences and thinks carefully before speaking or gesturing. And, when a mess is made, that person knows best how to clean up after themselves with apology and grace.

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The Author

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Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ