You Can't Push a Rope

You can’t push a rope.

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While attending a guest ranch in Colorado with my wife, we signed up for a horsemanship clinic with renowned stockman, Cute Pate. Curt said something the first day that resonated with me when it comes to leadership.?Curt said “you can’t push a rope” and then Curt explained when riding a horse, you need to identify a point up ahead where you are riding to if you want to ride in a straight line. He said if all you do is push the horse from behind with your legs, but you have no goal or end point in mind, then the horse with wander from side to side, not sure where they are supposed to go. Curt said if you look ahead and pick out a definite point you want to end up at and keep your eyes on that point, you can “pull” the horse to go in a straight line. Your eyes dictate what the rest of your body will do to keep moving ahead in a straight line. The small corrections that continually need to be made will be made subconsciously and you will end up exactly at your destination.

I found the same to be true when teaching emergency vehicle operations. I told my students, keep your eyes up and pick a line up ahead to drive to. When a student would go off the racetrack or an officer ended up crashing into an object while on patrol, I often heard “ I knew I was going to hit that telephone pole”. When I asked why they were so sure, they told me, “That is what I was looking at the whole time”.?I advised the students to be an optimist” look where you want to go not where you are afraid, you’ll go.”?Where your eyes are focused on matters.

As I thought about that rope concept in a leadership context, I realized it has value when leading people.?I have observed leaders “push” people with no idea where they want them to go. That leader applies pressure in the mistaken belief that “movement” is progress. Movement without a clear goal is just wasted energy. The harder you “push the rope” the more it will bunch up and look like a 70-car pileup on the interstate freeway when you are done. Pushing is done from the rear, out of sight of the workers. They feel driven, not lead. They know they are working hard but wonder about you. So if the answer is not to push people, what is effective?

If you have a clear goal in mind, then you can “pull” the rope in a straight line toward that goal. There is no wasted energy and the line stays straight until it reaches the goal. How is this done??Pulling is done from the front, not the rear. This reinforces the concept that leading from the front is an effective leadership strategy. Being in front puts the leader in the “battle zone” with knowledge in real time of any challenges or obstacles. It allows the followers to see the leader is present and actively engaging with them in achieving the stated goal. The leader can make timely corrections to the strategy as needed to achieve the goal.

It is easy to lead from the front when you are on a defined trail or road. It gets harder when the goal is off the beaten path and the followers need to rely more on the leader’s vision of the goal.?Curt Pate took us off the trail and across a large pasture. He advised us to pick out a bush or rock and fix our eyes on that object a ride directly toward that. I noticed that when I had an object in sight, I was able to keep my horse going in a straight line rather than wandering in a general direction.?

Law enforcement has changed dramatically in the past several years and leaders are forced to make corrections and get off the easy trail they have followed for years and navigate new territory across the pasture. Effective leaders pick out an object up ahead and “ride directly toward it”. They communicate to the followers where they are going thereby allowing them to identify the goal as well. Once everyone knows where they are headed, they can judge their own progress and avoid the small challenges or obstacles that will be encountered on the way. Everyone wants to know” Where are we going?” Effective leaders provide that information to the followers and then get in front and take them there.