Be Brilliant

Facet 10 Lead

Cheesy, Ziggy, Benny and Funky George are four of the most incredible teachers on leadership I've ever had the pleasure of learning from (true!). They taught me about the power of trust, authenticity and courage.

I met them during a unique and experiential training session run by Linda McGregor, founder and CEO of Four Legged Sages. Yep — the four teachers are horses.

The wonderful thing about horses is that they have no hidden agenda, are masters of emotional intelligence and they have an ability to allow us to see ourselves for what we really are. For example:

• Do we behave in a way that's congruent to what we think?
• Does our body language match what we're saying?
• Are we really building trust with an individual or are we behaving superficially?

Let me explain further.

One of our group that day, Kylie, had to stand in the centre of a round yard while Ziggy the unreined horse ran, bolted and kicked his way around the perimeter. As an observer, watching a 700-kilogram untethered horse run rings around my friend, I could feel her fear and nerves on high alert. Among all of this high and intense energy, Kylie's role was to build trust with Ziggy so that he would choose her to lead him.

It was fascinating to watch the battle between Kylie and Ziggy. Her externally facing, ‘I am the leader here', large and in-command gestures with the projected loud, strong voice were obviously incongruent with how Kylie was actually feeling inside. Despite Kylie trying to appear confident ...