Fear is a lazy bastard

“Fear is a lazy bastard. It comes from the most primitive part of the brain. It takes no work and no intelligence.” John Hope Bryant, Love Leadership

Fear is an emotion that can hold us, limit us or drive us. Fear is one of the six basic emotions we share with animals. When it comes to leading people fear may deliver short term results but it comes at great cost. In contrast the other five emotions sadness, anger, happiness, surprise and love utilize the part of the brain that thinks, finds meaning and remembers. Qualities found in passionate and caring leaders who truly want to connect with people and develop relationships in order to serve others. John Hope Bryant calls these individuals Love Leaders.

In my quest to grow The Natural Leader business I have had the great privilege of meeting a few of these Love Leaders. Each has touched my life in a different way each demonstrated a quality I needed to learn. Sometimes it was a learning realized simply through my own fear of failing.

Barbara Ross, sister, friend and strongest supporter. Barb is devoted to so many others, she has volunteered as a board member, fund raiser and for the past three months as full time Executive Director of Inn from the Cold to bring them through a critical transition period.
Fred Jacques, my mentor and partner through the programs we have delivered together. His knowledge, experience and willingness to share is inspiring.
Barbara Thrasher, believed in what we had to offer from her first introduction to the programs. She has continued to promote, support and encourage me – reminding without words on the importance of patience.
Kathy Pinder, Director of the Famous 5 I had the honour to work with Kathy on the 80th Anniversary of the ‘Persons Case’, her energy, enthusiasm and commitment is unwaivering.
Frances Wright, founder of the Famous 5 lives the importance of the role of women in developing a world worth living in.
Barbara Dodd-Jones for her participation and her willing endorsement in support of Equine instinct to better human Emotional Intelligence.
Suzanne Fitzhenry, Suzanne has been incredible in her ability to promote the University of
Calgary programs continually creating wait lists.
Donna Kennedy-Glans, has inspired me. Leadership in one of Canada’s largest oil companies taught her about the importance of self, family and belief. She continues to unveil opportunities for others through CanadaBridges.com
Jan Hornford, an aspiring equestrian with a positive energy and caring grace. Jan has a passion for people, her encouragement was the source of doing things differently this past year.
Christopher Byron, my husband, partner and best friend he both encourages and challenges me.

Each of these individuals helped me see that in failure lies great opportunity. It is simply about the choices we make. “Never say can’t and never say impossible. The difficult you do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.”1 Love leadership is about caring more about what others think, need and want than you think about yourself.

I always connect my leadership learnings to what my horses have taught me – this topic is no different. Animals are great teachers of unconditional love they accept us for who were are based on how we treat them. Horses can be absolute grace under pressure – so willing to forgive.

Rhys and I have had our journey this past year. It was only when I was ready to commit and banish my fear of failure Rhys was there waiting to follow my lead. It is a path I am willing to take in my business and my life. Failure like falling is something you do but you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and carry on. Loving what you are doing makes it that much easier.

Thanks to all of you I haven’t mentioned those who encouraged, participated and provided critical feedback and continue to influence my life. A great 2010 to all.

1- I am honoured to give credit where it is due – John Hope Byrant is the author of Love Leadership

Yoga & Horses

While I've long believed yoga is the perfect compliment to horsemanship - I am an inconsistent practitioner. I tend to get back into practicing yoga when the aches of horsemanship or more likely farm work awaken and stress muscles you forget you have.

It was the closing of the Warrior sequence in the Namaste yoga dvd that had me thinking about the deeper connections. "If you were to take on one small challenge, one tiny awakening, what would it be?" Awakening isn't a term one typically associates with horsemanship but one that easily applies to leadership.

As I moved through the poses and listened to the suggestions of Potters voice, the closer the words related to my pursuit of horsemanship. Breathing, reaching for what is comfortable, seeing how far I can go looking for that release in my rather inflexible feeling body.

I envision myself on a colt asking for the same things. Ray Hunt said everything comes down to "feel, timing and balance" and had he tried it, I'm sure he would say the same about yoga.

"Don't worry about how it looks, notice how it feels." the next phrase that resonates as I reach up lengthening my body to her words, trying to look a margin of what I am seeing on the tv screen. I certainly don't reflect the hard, flexible bodies of the women demonstrating the poses - and she is smiling while I simply try and breath! I breath deeply and reach, it feels better as my muscles relax. I am slowly getting there.

As someone who rides mostly on my own I rarely get caught up in how I look, in fact I often think I should video tape myself to see what I look like. Watching riders at a recent clinic some appeared to be consumed with what others were thinking but as they start focusing on the feel of the horse they too seemed to lose sense of the audience and false expectations they were placing on themselves.

In my view horsemanship, yoga and leadership are all intrinsic activities, I do what I can for others and I do them for me and that makes me feel good.