By Judith Lee

Everyone who knows me in my personal life knows I own a horse named Marco. Although Marco’s role in my life is strictly recreational, he also has taught me some solid lessons to bring into my business life.

Look where you are going. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But sometimes riders look down – at the horse, at the terrain, at the obstacle the horse is jumping. That simple motion of your head distracts the horse and sometimes confuses him about the goal. The result often is unintended deceleration, a stumble, or a refusal before the jump.

When leaders lose focus on the goal ahead, it is equally problematic for their team. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you expect them to follow? Keep your chin up, don’t get lost in the day-to-day details, and believe you will reach the destination. You’ll be amazed at how your team can manage the details to move ahead toward the goal.

Leadership is good, partnership is better. I often ride Marco across tricky terrain, encountering unexpected obstacles, for several hours at a time. This requires attention to detail as well as real staying power. While I’m an accomplished rider, and do what I can to facilitate Marco’s performance, he’s the one with his feet on the ground. He has to figure it out, and I have to trust him to do that. There are many times I must cede judgment to him.

Leaders need to recognize they can’t accomplish anything by themselves (truly, no one can!). They can only achieve in collaboration with others. You have to trust other people to do what they do best so that you can focus on what you do best. Don’t try to do all the thinking, either. There’s that old saying, “two heads are better than one.”

Lighten up. Marco is a Thoroughbred who was a former racehorse. He is athletic and perceptive. He often anticipates what I will ask him to do, and literally, I can slow him down without touching the reins – by subtly moving my shoulders back, or by murmuring a soft “Whoa”. It took me about 20 years to learn that the harder you pull, the more the horse resists. The lighter my touch, the more willing Marco is to follow my lead.

This is my best leadership lesson. You don’t have to crack the whip or pull hard on the reins. If you’ve achieved buy-in on your mission and established a trusting collaboration, you can just speak softly – no need to carry a big stick.

_______

Judith Lee is a marketing and communications professional who focuses on social media and email marketing based in Atglen. She is a SCORE Volunteer and the Chair-Elect of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 610-368-2058 or via email at judithlee@epix.net.

_______
Top photo credit: Ready to Ride via photopin (license)