One seasoned management training provider has come up with a rather different way of approaching leadership development – by working with horses.
Madeleine Moore told The People Bulletin that in her experience as a management coach, stress counsellor and soft skills trainer, she ran into a number of instances where the aspirations of the workforce did not match the attitudes of senior management.
Two years ago, she was invited to attend a leadership development programme run by one of the originators of Horse Assisted Education and said she was “amazed by the simplicity and effectiveness of this technique.”
Moore was already a horse owner and volunteer for the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), so she said she already knew that horses were very special in their willingness to work with humans and had a non-judgemental attitude when dealing with challenging ones. But she hadn’t jumped that fence into the corporate world, even though she had witnessed significant positive changes in young people with behaviour problems when she was volunteering at the RDA. The Horse Assisted Learning (HAL) course inspired her to do this work herself “as it encompassed working in the two areas I enjoy best – management development and horses.” She has since teamed up with another qualified member of the EAHAE (European Association of Horse Assisted Learning), Annie Larner, and the training takes place at Annie’s small farm near Hitchin, Herts.
How the horses work with the delegates
According to Moore, every horse, just like every human has a different personality and so will respond differently to contrasting management styles, giving the human instant feedback. As herd animals, they are always looking for strong clear leadership – something she says a lot of senior managers lack, often giving conflicting messages and confusing staff. Horses, she maintains, have no hidden agenda and “just respond honestly to what is presented to them.” It is the fact that delegates have to find alternative ways of communicating with them that helps develop leadership skills.
One delegate learns to let go control
Another does some problem-solving
The leap of faith…
She explains: “We don’t allow intimidation or threats but encourage the participants in our workshops to come up with the other methods to encourage the horse to complete simple exercises, often without any restraint or verbal language.” This, apparently, challenges preconceptions and helps develop creativity.
Workshops are run in groups of eight or less and time is built in for observing each team member’s behaviour and giving feedback, as well as linking the work to the corporate environment. The exercises (such as the one above) are designed for building trust and rapport, which is essential for strong leadership, and for inspiring creative team work. Most of the work is done on the ground, with the horses either on a loose lead rope or at liberty; if desired, candidates can also ride bareback in the bespoke workshops, but it is not essential. Taster days are also arranged on a regular basis.
For more information ring 0845 638 1330 or e-mail info@workscales.co.uk
Photographs are courtesy of Ian Miles of Flashpoint Pictures.
www.workscales.co.uk