Therese Markou Being the Best Leader in the Year of the Horse.........
I was feeding my horses the other day which can be quite stressful for both horses and humans, especially if the
horses have no respect for you. It reminded me that being a Leader and showing consistency is so important especially
for your own safety and wellbeing.
All my horses respect me because I have consistently shown them on a daily basis that I am their leader.
Consistency is the key to being a great leader. It is important to have a consistent approach to everything that you do
in your business and personal life. Being the year of the horse it’s fitting to say that leadership and horses go hand in
hand.
It is so important for me as an owner and trainer of three horses to be a great leader. If I don’t show them that I am
worthy of their respect, trust and attention our relationship is going to be a very unhappy one and potentially can lead
to dangerous situations; such as being disrespectful, hard to lead, bucking, kicking, rearing and biting to name a few.
This also transfers into our relationships with other people. We need to show others that we are a great leader, that
we are worthy of their respect, their time and their money.
So how long does it take to become a great leader? Well when it comes to horses it could be as little as five minutes
as long as you know the principles and have
the right intentions with no hidden agendas.
Yesterday I was helping a friend with her horse
Scotty. He had recently given her son quite a
scare when he was out riding by rearing then
bolting off. It was the first time that I had met
Scotty who at first snorted, then walked away
from me. I calmly kept approaching him with
the intention that I was going to move his feet.
(This is what horses do to each other to show
the other horse that they are the leader).
After a few minutes of moving Scotty’s feet to get him to run around, he started to show signs of giving me respect
and attention. Soon he was following me around the arena. I spent about 10 minutes on the ground with him before
riding.
If Scotty was to do the same thing tomorrow then I would apply the same technique. Again being consistent builds
trust and respect.
You can be a great leader by being open, honest, calm, consistent and you can start today. It is not hard. It wasn’t
hard for me to gain Scotty’s respect because I understood how horses communicate which is all about body language.
People that we lead need to know they can rely on us and take them through difficult and great times. It’s not ok to
say something and then do something totally different later. They will see you as weak and will lose interest fast. You
have heard this before: “Actions speak louder than words”.
Ensure that you take a consistent approach, be honest, open, calm and you will be a great leader in the Year of the
Horse!
Therese Markou is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and Senior Executive who shares
her story of endurance, resilience, rebuilding and branding at client engagements
worldwide. Winner of numerous awards from Toastmasters international, she has been a
leader in numerous community and government organisations. Email:
[email protected] or connect at LinkedIn.