As ever, the management development programme brought a different element to learning, and in August it was leadership though horses. Unlike people, horses will only co-operate from a place of connection and mutual respect and trust. When you can lead teams from a place of heart-felt connection and trust, rather than intimidation and fear, you form high performing teams where everyone contributes and plays an active role. We learnt so much over the day about:

• Being authentic and showing your vulnerabilities

• Trust and respect are key to bringing out the best in others

• Giving clear direction and always being purposeful

• Setting the right pace and tone and enjoying the journey

• Having honest conversations along the way

• Being prepared to step out of our comfort zone

• Thinking about how best to lead the individual and the team

• Finding ways to work in harmony with our team

• Believing in ourselves and others

• Observing what is going on (without judgement)

• Remembering that leaders don’t know everything!

It really was a fantastic experience; people were operating outside of their comfort zone and achieved more than they could have imagined. One delegate emailed us the next day:-

“My only complaint … it wasn’t long enough – I wanted more … both working with the horses but also the learning!!!! After a full on day, it was great to read that and we agreed too. There were a few people who slept well that night 🙂

Our thanks go to Julia Felton at Business Horse Power for supporting us and making it such a great day!