Malvern-based WorkHorse is offering unique team-building workshops by using exercises with horses to show that a cooperative approach can often get better results than aggressive leadership, writes Sam Walker for The Wall Street Journal.
Initiated by former fashion executive Kristen de Marco seven years ago, WorkHorse gives teams the opportunity to bond over getting a pair of horses to complete a task.
However, the process is never simple. In fact, de Marco has often seen visitors start treating any uncooperative equines like recalcitrant office workers by issuing orders, making threats, dangling incentives, or even starting to shove them. None of this works.
According to de Marco, horses just ignore someone if they feel they are bossy, overconfident, or inauthentic.
“They can’t read your résumé,” said de Marco. “They only care about who you are in that moment.”
She said that dealing with horses requires a more cooperative approach.
“You have to be vulnerable, humble, and accountable,” she said.
According to de Marco, this is a valuable lesson that animals can teach humans, as this approach shows that “you don’t have to be a unicorn as a leader, only the best version of yourself.”
Read more about WorkHorse in The Wall Street Journal here.
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