Sticking with the Herd

Issue 7 - June 2007 The sanctity of the herd is undeniable. Domestication hasn't altered the instinct that sticking together is safer than going it alone and roles and responsibilities of the herd remain strong. A horse's perspective of danger and self-preservation may be more finely tuned than ours, but it is this awareness of their environment that helps us better understand the impact we have on others.

The concept of the herd is resilient. By definition, resilient means the ability to respond and adjust to challenges from the environment. The innate characteristics of the herd and requirement for respect, recognition and retention make the herd a perfect metaphor for workplace learning.

Exquisitely aware of the connection between actions and intent, a horse communicates through non-verbal actions. A horse will respond to us in a similar manner that they would a herd mate, so when our actions don't align with our intentions, we loose their trust and respect. When our actions reflect our intentions the horse will choose to stay or leave depending on whether trust is gained and leadership established.

Mark, a participant in a recent session suggested: "I want to be the kind of leader that I would want to work with." On reflection the thought raises an interesting question: "Does the statement reflect, leadership qualities that you seek or qualities that provide reason for others to want to stay?"

As everyone's expectations of a leader will differ, the ability of the leader to adapt their communication and leadership style for the individual is crucial in developing a relationship. The impact of this became clear when Mark had the opportunity to switch horses half way through the afternoon Ð the personality and characteristics of the second horse were completely different than the one he'd started the day. Mark recognized that he had to immediately adjust his leadership style to reflect the individual needs of the horse or risk loosing the trust.

Trust and respect are the foundations for creating an effective team. Putting a team of complementary skills together is easy, developing a team with complementing intentions and actions requires work. If the team reflects the leadership they receive, when the leader is adaptable, flexible and willing to move the team in turn demonstrates resilient behaviour.

The sanctity of the team is realised when every individual is respected, recognized and encouraged. Respect instills trust, trust creates ownership and ownership in the process is as important as the end result and sticking with the herd a whole lot more enjoyable.