"Home is wherever I'm with you," sounds like just another cliche. It alludes to the comfort one might feel when they are with a certain person. After a clinic last weekend, I began to reflect on how important this little cliche might be.
Billy Smith is the cowboy that really drove home the importance of forgetting my ego and solidifying basics more than I ever thought they could be. He is also a big part of why I still have my little mare. He isn't nice. He's authentic and true to the horse. If you don't like it, he doesn't much care.
Lily (the little mare) and I went to see him at a clinic last weekend. It was her third ride on a trailer and my first time to this particular facility. I have always thought that going to a new place with a horse is an excellent way of gauging the relationship. Can I get the horse to focus on the task at hand? Can he keep his wits about him when he sees something new?
That morning, after a few calls to her herd in the barn, Lily got on the trailer and seemed to make the trip to the facility quite well. It was her first ride through a big town and all the sights and sounds that come with it. Horses are flight animals. They just react and run when they get afraid for their lives. She was trapped in a little steel box and could see and hear vehicles moving on all sides of her. It is important to have this understanding when we go into a situation. Horses only do what they think is right. A lot of the time, they act to protect their lives. Lily and I have worked many hours to get her comfortable in the trailer. Driving though a big busy town was a test of that effort. The trailer hardly moved, which leads me to believe she feels a degree of safety when she is in it.
We arrived at the clinic facility and Lily was just wonderful. Quiet and peaceful. More so than I had expected. When we entered the ring for our session, Billy asked me how things were going and if there was anything in particular that I wanted to address. I told him that a part of my intention for the day was just putting Lily on the trailer, taking her to a new place and then asking her to do some work. He immediately replied with "She's not in a new place, you are. Lily is at home because she's with you." This stuck with me and I realized that when I take a horse to a new place it isn't about getting them to focus on the task at hand at all. It is about getting them to stay with me. Mentally and emotionally that is. If they stay with me in those ways, they'll be there physically too. For the rest of the session I stayed focused on the tasks and Lily stayed focused on me. She was home.
This notion can transfer, I think, to leading people through any difficult situation. What if, in a time of crisis, employees looked to their boss for help and subsequently felt empowered by them? As leaders we have the ability to create a safe emotional space for learning and growth, whatever the situation. The challenge is finding the strength and feel within ourselves to be confident even when things are unfamiliar or challenging.
As I move forward, I will ask myself how I can be "home" for those that look to me for direction. It is another piece of the journey that is leadership.
Billy Smith is the cowboy that really drove home the importance of forgetting my ego and solidifying basics more than I ever thought they could be. He is also a big part of why I still have my little mare. He isn't nice. He's authentic and true to the horse. If you don't like it, he doesn't much care.
Lily (the little mare) and I went to see him at a clinic last weekend. It was her third ride on a trailer and my first time to this particular facility. I have always thought that going to a new place with a horse is an excellent way of gauging the relationship. Can I get the horse to focus on the task at hand? Can he keep his wits about him when he sees something new?
That morning, after a few calls to her herd in the barn, Lily got on the trailer and seemed to make the trip to the facility quite well. It was her first ride through a big town and all the sights and sounds that come with it. Horses are flight animals. They just react and run when they get afraid for their lives. She was trapped in a little steel box and could see and hear vehicles moving on all sides of her. It is important to have this understanding when we go into a situation. Horses only do what they think is right. A lot of the time, they act to protect their lives. Lily and I have worked many hours to get her comfortable in the trailer. Driving though a big busy town was a test of that effort. The trailer hardly moved, which leads me to believe she feels a degree of safety when she is in it.
We arrived at the clinic facility and Lily was just wonderful. Quiet and peaceful. More so than I had expected. When we entered the ring for our session, Billy asked me how things were going and if there was anything in particular that I wanted to address. I told him that a part of my intention for the day was just putting Lily on the trailer, taking her to a new place and then asking her to do some work. He immediately replied with "She's not in a new place, you are. Lily is at home because she's with you." This stuck with me and I realized that when I take a horse to a new place it isn't about getting them to focus on the task at hand at all. It is about getting them to stay with me. Mentally and emotionally that is. If they stay with me in those ways, they'll be there physically too. For the rest of the session I stayed focused on the tasks and Lily stayed focused on me. She was home.
This notion can transfer, I think, to leading people through any difficult situation. What if, in a time of crisis, employees looked to their boss for help and subsequently felt empowered by them? As leaders we have the ability to create a safe emotional space for learning and growth, whatever the situation. The challenge is finding the strength and feel within ourselves to be confident even when things are unfamiliar or challenging.
As I move forward, I will ask myself how I can be "home" for those that look to me for direction. It is another piece of the journey that is leadership.
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