Jascha and Buck

Buck Brannaman is the Jascha Heifetz of horse trainers.

?Heifetz, one of the most renowned violinists of all time, was a Russian Jew who emigrated with his parents to America in 1917 when the Russian Revolution broke out.

?Like Mozart, he was a child prodigy, so good that at his debut as a teenager at Carnegie Hall, other violinists commented that “we might as well take our fiddles and break them across our knees.” Such was his virtuosity, lyricism, and ability to articulate not only the voice of the composer but the soul of his instrument.

?What Heifetz did with a violin, Brannaman does with a horse. Watching him ride is poetry in motion. He can vary the stride length and cadence, control each hoof as if it were his own in twists, and turns and changes of gait. He rides one handed, tall, his horse on a loose rein. This is not a man, not a horse. This is a perfectly melded manhorse, the agility and grace of which is mesmerizing.

?His virtuoso techniques, perfect timing, balance, sense of rhythm, and his ability to express the magic and lyricism of the art of riding a horse are as soul widening and deepening as listening to a Heifetz recording.?

?Leadership defined in its broadest sense means having the ability to take someone or something somewhere. With that definition in mind, Jascha and Buck are great leaders. They have taken passion to the heights of their ability, leading the way for the rest of us to experience their world, and, if desired to emulate it.

?Buck talks of decades of hard work, trial and error, discoveries, forethought and afterthought, failures, and successes, learning to listen, learning to communicate, and he does so with examples and anecdotes that are humorous or touching, thought-provoking and kind.

?He makes a follower out of you.

?And when he speaks, albeit in horse parlance, it’s in Leader-ease.” Here are just a few of thoughts:

?"There’s no pressure without purpose." Translation: Be responsible in your requests.

"Your legs have to mean something and only then will you get something out of it" = To be effective, develop communication skills.

?You need to know what happens before “it’s happened” happens = Know your job. Think strategically.

"Plan for the unthinkable" = Be prepared.?

"Horses feed off presence. With some horses you’ve got to be 10x your size, with others you have to be shrink 10x smaller" = Be emphatic.

"Develop a feel of the horse and a feel for the horse. Feel following feel = riding" i.e., EQ is key to leadership.

"You’ll be surprised how much a horse will do if he believes in you" is Be trustworthy.

?"Your strategy has to change relative to the moment means" means Be an open minded and flexible problem solver.

?"You’ve got to enjoy what you do is saying loving what you do is key to a positive outcome.

That's because when you love what you do, your passion and enthusiasm not only will keep you up and running when the going gets tough, but, it's VERY contagious to those around you.

We all are drawn to passion. When you show up in love with your work therefore, your team is extremely likely to be inspired by you, fostering a positive response and an energetic work environment.

Jascha and Buck devotees would agree.

?Cheery bye,

?Susanna

#leadershipdevelopment, #purposecenteredleadership, #leadershipthinktank, #coachingandwomen, #coachingtips, #womenandhorses

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