One of the most important parts of a relationship is the trust between horse and rider that comes from knowing each other’s roles. Each relationship in our lives has components that must be present for each to perform their roles at their peak: Each part of the team has to know what their individual job is. My horse carries me, she performs her tasks of carrying my body’s weight, she protects me, and she performs beautiful jumps as well as provides pleasure as we journey. If I was expected to carry her load, if she expected me to sit under her, instead of on, her we both might have a bumpy ride. Strong partnerships begin with identifying the role we each bring to the barn. There are many moving parts of a successful business, the feeding of our minds, the grooming of our offerings, the daily stretching and the enjoyment of our talents. As in my life at the barn, the work is present daily, but the rewards of our work is an amazing relationship that we both look forward to daily. We have to be in relationship together, working through the learning, the activities, and taking time to celebrate together the rewards of our work.
Trust is important to me, to my business. The ability to know I offer a strong product, I deliver a consistent level of customer and team member care is no less important to me than the trust I have developed with my horse. Both thrive in an environment of skillful attention, play, and stretching to be the winners they are!
Believing in solid foundations, effective choices, and reaping the rewards of a great business
Amy
I’ve been riding horses as long as I can remember and today, I ride and show a beautiful jumper named Parisian. There’s an exuberance that fills me when I take her into the ring for a competition, but there’s something deeper, and recently I was asked what lessons I’ve learned from competing with my horse. Besides the close relationship that develops between horse and rider…there are life and leadership lessons that we learn along the way from these majestic creatures, and there are some major life lessons I’ve learned from competing my horse.
I am passionate about competing and showing Parisian.
First and foremost I love the bond we share.
When we’re competing, it’s a partnership. We can’t do this without each other. We communicate every step of the way. We’re united, and together in our partnership, we’re more successful. Just like it is in business. When you try and go it alone, success is harder to achieve.
Sometimes I make mistakes and sometimes she makes mistakes that affect the outcome of our competition, but I always learn and come back stronger and more determined not to make the same mistakes again. Failure is a swift teacher and having a partner to work with makes the failure a blip in my journey and an opportunity for growth.
I have to be congruent. You can’t lie to a horse because they have an uncanny way of sensing when something isn’t safe, real or true. Living in congruency is key to having a successful business.
Parisian has good and bad days, and some really great days, just like you and me. On her bad days, I give her the encouragement she needs. I nurture her and offer my inner guidance and strength so that together, we become stronger. On my bad days, she cuts me the slack I need. Just like it should be in life. Team leaders and members also experience good, bad and great days, and on the bad, you have to reach out, extend a hand and offer a lifeline.
I’ve also learned the art of making quick decisions. In competition, I don’t have the luxury of spending great amounts of time figuring out what I need to do next. I have to think in the saddle and quickly, and I have to make the necessary adjustments. Again, this is true in life and business. Great leaders constantly have to make quick decisions that affect entire teams and their business. It’s a trained skill, but one that must be learned and mastered.
Competing with my horse is not just about showing up. It’s about full immersion, preparation and pushing myself to ride better every day and dedication to being fully present without distraction.
My leadership skills have been fine-tuned. Horses do not have to follow us. Horses follow us because they want to – because they feel safe. It’s similar for us in all aspects of our lives. We can’t demand a following.
And finally it’s about creating a partnership. In order to experience success on all levels in life and in business, we should work and socialize with others who share and value who you are and who want to be with you.
You may or may not ride horses, but I’m guessing you’ve learned something from an animal along the way. Take a moment and share your story in the comments below.
I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.~ Jessie B Rittenhouse
I am reading a great book that was recommended to me – Secrets of Six- Figure Women by Barbara Stanny. These common threads are not just unique to women.
Barbara was given the idea by a good friend to interview women who were earning six-figures and more to determine what they had in common, if anything. She didn’t really want to do it, because she thought she would be talking with high earning women who were cold, tough, aloof, hard-driven, designer dressed who could never relate to a poorly paid writer. What she found was pretty remarkable and not what she expected when she began her journey.
Early in her interviewing them, she wanted to find out what drives them to succeed, she asked them the question “What drives you to work so hard to succeed?”
Their answers were varied, but here are just a few of them:
Each of them had a different value of what was important for them, but the outcome for all of them is tremendous success both financially and achieving what is important to them and that is what drives them.
“If you want to be truly successful, focus on fulfilling your values and financial gain will follow.”
What do you value the most in how it relates to your success? Only you can answer that question, but if you can really tap into that, your success can increase exponentially. I challenge you to really find what your core value is that will drive your success to the next level. You have the power to achieve whatever you want, but you need to have a vision for your life based on cherished values, when you do then money becomes a by-product.
