The Impact of Perceptions
When was the last time you entered an interaction thinking one thing and then realized later on that what you initially thought wasn’t accurate? Most of the time this misalignment of perceptions is harmless. But sometimes it can have strong negative implications on the outcome of the interaction. Often we are not aware of our […]
Can a Leader Be “Tough” and Acknowledge Peoples’ Humanity at the Same Time?
Absolutely. Parents do it every day. Organizational leaders do it every day. In my work doing leadership development coaching in partnership with horses, participants often start out with an assumption that the horses “should” be compliant when asked to do something, like move where a person wants them to go. When the horse is not […]
When Knowing is a Curse
“Most under-communication is inadvertent. People are simply unaware of the gap between what’s in their mind and what’s in yours, and you suffer from that same lack of awareness. In fact, a team of researchers writing in the Journal of Political Economy labeled this phenomenon ‘the curse of knowledge.’ It means that […]
Information Without Action Isn’t Developing Your Employees
Information. In this digital age, it’s everywhere. No matter what we are trying to improve or fix, we can find information online, at seminars, or – for some people – in books (yes, they still exist!). But information without action is just “noise.” My husband and I have rescued and adopted Australian Shepherds for 13 […]
Confronting Our Beliefs About Power
Power. Just the word can evoke a variety of responses from people. To some, the word is a positive representation of being able to rise above adversity and achieve goals – as in being empowered. To others, the word is a negative representation of how people control others through fear. The word itself is neither […]
When Leaders Choose to Lead
Uncertainty. It’s something that is guaranteed no matter how successful we are. It surrounds us in our personal and professional lives. Organizational leaders spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours strategizing on how to battle uncertainty by trying to create certainty. But it’s a losing battle. As soon as it seems like a situation […]
Leadership On Hold
Recently a woman who completed a leadership program with me – I’ll call her Susan – shared that she had just been hired for a new position in the organization where she has worked as the office coordinator for many years. The other position had been open and filled twice over the past 10 years […]
To Build or Develop – That is the Question
By Ginny Telego If you have ever had the chance to see the Budweiser Clydesdales in person, you know that it is amazing to watch how this team of 8 horses work together in sync to make what they do look effortless. “Teams” of horses have been productive in cultures all over the world for […]
Debunking Stubborn
“That horse is stubborn!” This is a common point of discussion in our leadership and team development workshops when a horse does not seem to be interested in doing what is being asked. Think for a moment about a time when you were communicating something to another person and they seemed to ignore you. It’s […]
What Patagonia and TOMS Shoes Can Teach Us About Our Equine Assisted Business
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” Patagonia Mission Statement In the eight years that I’ve had my equine assisted learning business, I have been challenged with the same thing that most others in this field have struggled with—how do I make this […]