“52 times”, she replied.
The speaker system had blurred the question so all I heard was the response from the young girl. Thirty-four people had come to ride with Buck Brannaman in a recent clinic, divided into three groups, I was taking the opportunity to watch and listen from the bleachers.
Over the course of three days, Brannaman had repeatedly explained and demonstrated a “soft feel”. Despite his best efforts, by day four, few seemed to have picked up on the fact that he was speaking to them.
Understanding a soft feel is only gained through experience. It is hands on learning not something you can pick from a book or video. Brannaman was suggesting that the only way to keep your horse engaged is to be engaging. Rather than sitting like a bump on a log, stay in the moment and so will your horse.
The parallels of horsemanship and leadership are wonderfully obvious to me. Like horsemanship, leadership is an active pursuit. We can memorize theory; but real change can only occur it is through reflection and application of knowledge. Many can become capable riders and managers, however few become excellent horsemen, horsewomen and leaders.
“52 times”
The question? Resorting to statistics, Buck had simply asked a twelve-year-old girl to watch how many times in one hour he asked his horse for a soft feel. Whether at a walk, trot or standing, many saw nothing. Nothing - yet this young girl counted fifty-two simple but defining requests.
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Broadcasting Intent
Maddie was completely rigid, head up, eyes fixed, feet frozen to the spot. No matter how hard Sue tried, the horse's feet would not budge. Sue was frustrated, convinced the horse was plain stubborn and did not like her. From Maddison's perspective every signal directed at her was different, conflicting and confusing. The human was simply flailing on the other end of the lead.
Horses have a very concise way of letting others know that something is about to happen, they clearly and sometimes very swiftly broadcast their intent. The key in working with a horse is to connect our actions with our intention so they can read us. If intention is a reflection of what we value, our purpose and what we wish to accomplish, then as our eyes align with our thoughts and our body follows suit we communicate our intention to the horse.
Understanding the art of horse whispering, or the language of the corporate world, requires the leader be an excellent observer of their own actions, adjusting and responding based on demonstrated behaviour.
Just as Sue recognised she was very much a task oriented person, she came to realise her focus on the intended result of the future made it difficult for the horse to understand her at that moment. A horse can read our body but not our minds, so as clear as Sue was in her goal, the more she focused attention on Maddison, the more her actions of the present contradicted her intention.
In the 2004 book Presence organizational behaviour gurus Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski and Flowers -- discuss that being aware of the present moment allows you to continually refine your intention so opportunities unfold. "thinking about your intention many, many times - is, in a sense, a broadcast of intention. When you broadcast such an intention, there's very little else that you have to do. The broadcast of intention goes out and makes it happen. Your role is to remain keenly aware, patiently expectant, and open to all possibilities."
A horse demands the present of us - they live in the moment and respond based on what we offer. A horse knows what Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski and Flowers define as 'presencing', is in fact another type of seeing. "It is seeing from within the source from which the future whole is emerging, peering back at the present from the future." They know the more we are present to the moment the more successful we are in broadcasting our intention.
Horses have a very concise way of letting others know that something is about to happen, they clearly and sometimes very swiftly broadcast their intent. The key in working with a horse is to connect our actions with our intention so they can read us. If intention is a reflection of what we value, our purpose and what we wish to accomplish, then as our eyes align with our thoughts and our body follows suit we communicate our intention to the horse.
Understanding the art of horse whispering, or the language of the corporate world, requires the leader be an excellent observer of their own actions, adjusting and responding based on demonstrated behaviour.
Just as Sue recognised she was very much a task oriented person, she came to realise her focus on the intended result of the future made it difficult for the horse to understand her at that moment. A horse can read our body but not our minds, so as clear as Sue was in her goal, the more she focused attention on Maddison, the more her actions of the present contradicted her intention.
In the 2004 book Presence organizational behaviour gurus Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski and Flowers -- discuss that being aware of the present moment allows you to continually refine your intention so opportunities unfold. "thinking about your intention many, many times - is, in a sense, a broadcast of intention. When you broadcast such an intention, there's very little else that you have to do. The broadcast of intention goes out and makes it happen. Your role is to remain keenly aware, patiently expectant, and open to all possibilities."
A horse demands the present of us - they live in the moment and respond based on what we offer. A horse knows what Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski and Flowers define as 'presencing', is in fact another type of seeing. "It is seeing from within the source from which the future whole is emerging, peering back at the present from the future." They know the more we are present to the moment the more successful we are in broadcasting our intention.
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