by Julia Felton | Jan 16, 2018
“What can horses teach me about authentic communication” and the answer is lots. When partnering with the horses:
- you get the opportunity to drop into the space of “horse time”. Away from the stresses and strains of daily life you are able to slow down, reflect and experience the power of real connection
- you have to communicate with your heart and not your head. All authentic communication starts with a heart felt connection and the horses are masters at letting us know how true we are being to ourselves
- you have to be present, grounded and paying attention. If you don’t the horse will simply ignore you
- you get to experience the power of non-verbal communication and how it can influence others
- you experience how emotions can disrupt the communication channel
The great thing about learning from horses, who are master communicators, is that you will learn how to synchronise your intention – mentally, emotionally and physically. You will get unbiased, immediate feedback on your communication style. And importantly if what you are doing isn’t working you get the opportunity to recalibrate and try a different approach. Interacting without verbal communication allows participants to discover a whole new world in the process!
Working with horses demands that you be very clear in your communication both verbal and non-verbal. Horses do not understand words and therefore rely on reading body language and energy. You will experience how to align your energy in such a way that your communication becomes clear and concise.
What type of world or work environment do you create for yourself through your communication? Is it supportive, inspiring and powerful or could it be improved? When you start using this new knowledge with others they will feel motivated, excited and willing to work with you, which will lead to new levels of performance.
To discover more how horses and help you develop your authentic communication skills (and leadership and team working skills too) lets have a chat. You can book into my diary here or better still join us on the next Art of Authentic Communication workshop.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jan 3, 2018
Communication skills are vital to our success in business and life, and yet how many of us appreciate the unless we communicate authentically we may well be sabotaging our own success. When we fail to communicate effectively team members, colleagues, clients, suppliers and family members can get frustrated leading to stress and anxiety. And just like poor communication can have a negative ripple effect within the business, authentic communication can actually help businesses become more collaborative, innovative and creative leading to greater productivity and profitability. And its the same with your family and friends too.
So Why Is Authentic Communication Important?
Authentic Communication is a heart-centred way of communicating in which you allow your Authentic Self to do the talking and listening instead of your fear-based Ego. When we engage in authentic communication we move from just being in a transactional relationships to forming real human connection. One where the other person feels acknowledged and heard. Authentic communication is a pre-requisite for success in organisations, businesses and in any project as it allows for transparency and speed in communications.
When you communicate authentically you are able to express yourself productively and become curious in the other person’s perspective and how they are feeling about the situation. You are clear about your values and your core truth and from this place you are able to achieve different results. When leaders communicate authentically this has a profound effect on the business because the culture of the organisation is created by what people do and who they are. When leaders and team members operate from a place of authenticity then:
- trust increases
- team members feel more valued and engaged in their work
- connection and rapport improves
- it breaks down the silo mentatlity in business
- there is more collaberation and sharing of resources
- the workplace is happier as the air is “clearer”
- the business culture starts to focus on ‘we’ rather than ‘me’ as barriers are broken down
- the inside of the business matches the outside
Business relationships prosper when people trust each other, information is freely and generously exchanged and relationships are vibrant. However communication whilst simple is not easy. It is multi faceted and complex especially when one considers that so much is communicated by our body language. So unless our body language and our words are aligned and congruent the message simply will not be heard.
Surprisingly, happiness is an added benefit of authentic communication. Psychologist Sidney Jourard, found that 85 percent of a person’s happiness in life comes from happy interactions with other people. The reverse holds true as well: 85 percent of a person’s unhappiness or problems in life comes from difficulties in getting along with others
So if you are interested in honing your authentic communication skills I encourage you to join me and Tessa Gray later this month for our unique Art of Communication workshop. This is no ordinary workshop as your teachers will be Julia’s herd of horses, who are master communicators. They will test and challenge the clarity, congruence and connection of your communication, and rest assured you will leave the day more fully aware of the non-verbal impact you have on you communication success. After all, like everything else in life, communication begins with you.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Nov 22, 2017
According to the 2015 Employee Trends Report by Quantum Workplace, one of the biggest areas of concern for team members is that there is often not open and honest communication with managers. So why is this? Why does miscommunication pervade at least 50% of business conversations? Is technology to blame or are there some other dynamics at work.
In my experience, yes technology does have a part to play. Emails and text can be taken out of context and without any supporting body language to back up the conversation they can fuel anxiety and in some cases, escalate beyond repair, this is why face to face conversations are so much more effective.
And yet face to face conversations too can lead to miscommunication especially when the manager fails to lead the conversation or is fearful about discussing the subject. Take for example if a manager needs to have a difficult conversation with team members, say about their performance. If the manager is not feeling confident in having the conversation they might not articulate clearly the problem and so the team member leaves confused about what they have done wrong. This then causes the situation to escalate and before long both parties become frustrated. I call these conversations Courageous Conversations as they require the manager to be ruthlessly honest and transparent, often saying things that no-one has said in the past.
Having a clear framework for navigating these Courageous Conversations is essential to help managers approach the situation with confidence and certainty. This is why I developed the 6 C’s to Successful Courageous Conversations Framework.
Throughout any Courageous Conversation, it is imperative that you manage your emotional energy. If as the leader of the conversation you are grounded and in the moment it will help the person you are talking to remain in this state too. Make sure you breathe deeply, stay calm and stay centered in your energy. Notice if you go off track and re-calibrate if necessary.
Step One: Clarity
Be clear on the reason for the conversation and the desired outcome. Most courageous conversations falter because there is a lack of clarity about the real issue. Get to the root cause of the problem and address this rather than focusing on the symptoms
Step Two: Curiosity
Cultivate an attitude of discovery and curiosity. Pretend you don’t know anything and learn as much as you can about the other person’s point of view. Watch their body language and listen to what they are not saying as well as what they are saying. Don’t interrupt, unless to clarify, and let the person talk until they are finished.
Step Three: Coherent
Make sure that you have heard and understood everything that has been said by repeating back to them what they said. This will ensure the team member feels that they have been listened to
Step Four: Congruent
When the team member has said everything, then share with them how you see things from your perspective. Help them see your position without undermining their own. Seek clarity on how the team member came to that conclusion and how it differs from your own stance.
Step Five: Co-Create Closure
Now you both understand each other’s point of view it’s time to co-create a solution. Brainstorm and come up with ideas that you both think might work. Find something the team member says that resonates with the solution you desire and build on this. If the conversation at any time becomes adversarial go back to inquiry and further clarification on their point of view. The more the team member feels listened to the more they will engage in co-creating a solution with you.
Remember, that for any situation you encounter there are always multiple perspectives, so be empathetic of the other person. Always be curious about how they see the situation and be aware of how your own judgments and prejudice may be impacting what you are observing. When you appreciate, that others have a different perspective from you and you can start to see things through their eyes, you are able to make more informed decisions, and in doing so increase team member engagement.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Nov 15, 2017
Small and medium-sized businesses are the life-blood of our economy, but they face specific, ever-increasing challenges. The world is in the mists of an employee engagement crisis, with serious and potentially lasting repercussions for the global economy.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest challenges SME’s currently face is the attraction and retention of talent. Intelligent, honest, hard working staff are critical to an organisation’s ongoing success, but now more than ever, good people are hard to find – and they are even harder to hold on to! To ensure employee job fulfilment, loyalty and maximum ROI, the key ingredient that is so often missing is Engagement.
In a recent Gallup poll, it was revealed that only 8% of UK employees are engaged at work, and most disengaged employees would change employers right now for as little as a 5% pay increase.
- The Engaged Employee – Does more than is expected. Works with a passion and feels a profound connection to the organisation they work for. They drive innovation and move the organisation forwards, providing maximum return on salary investment
- The Disengaged Employee – Does just what’s expected. Is essentially there in body only. They’re sleep walking through their day. Marking time, but not energy or passion, into their work. They provide minimum return on salary investment
- The Actively Disengaged Employee – Does less than expected. They aren’t happy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day these workers undermine the efforts of their engaged co-workers, often providing negative return on salary investment.
Many organisations believe that strong leadership, and an exclusive focus on the development of their leaders is the key to a winning culture. They are mistaken. Leadership is not the heart of your organisation. The heart of your organisation is its people and their contribution. Without actively engaged employees, the leadership message cannot be heard..
Trained leaders today have been overloaded with leadership knowledge and theory, but too often they are not sufficiently activated. We need to turn our attention equally to our staff, getting them actively engaged regularly through new, innovative and inclusive methods, thus creating shared vision and buy in. It’s called ‘leadership living’ and all levels of the organisation participate together in the workplace. It is an all action methodology, which means all team members will live, breathe and grow together as a united force. It breeds true engagement, uncovers more leaders and builds a powerful and united culture. To ensure maximum impact and lasting change, everyone needs to be involved and everyone needs to be accountable.
So how do we engage our staff, encouraging maximum productivity, loyalty and ROI? It starts with changing habits as a collective, creating a movement. It’s about working as a unified team to change everyone’s individual and collective behaviours. The only way you can do this is through structured, strategic and regular discussions built on shared ownership, individual empowerment, and regular feedback sessions.
Also, traditional hierarchy has to go. The traditional organisational structure is not the most efficient option for businesses in the 21st century. Instead, successful companies are moving to an organisational structure that allows employees to make more of their own decisions and avoid the rigidity of traditional models. Generations X, Y and Z respond and are motivated differently to Baby Boomers. Equality creates unity, and unity will bring the truth out in your organisation. Think of truth as the splinters that need to be removed from your business. It may hurt, but we need to hear it, otherwise the pain will continue and exacerbate. We need to create an atmosphere for the truth to be tabled discussed and addressed without judgement.
If you’d like to explore how to get your teams more engaged then lets have a conversation as I utilise cutting edge group activation systems to get team members engaged and the results are engagement levels increasing my over 200%, whilst simultaneously the company experiencing growth in productivity and profitability.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Nov 8, 2017
If you want to be a great leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. Leadership is the great challenge of life.
What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here’s how:
1. Learn to be strong but not impolite.
It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.
2. Learn to be kind but not weak.
We must not mistake weakness for kindness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell someone the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.
3. Learn to be bold but not a bully.
It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble. Like the farmer, if you want any rewards at harvest time, you have got to be bold and face the weeds and the rain and the bugs straight on. You’ve got to seize the moment.
4. Learn to be humble but not timid.
You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. But humility is a virtue; timidity is a disease. It’s an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem. Humility is almost a God-like word—a sense of awe, a sense of wonder, an awareness of the human soul and spirit, an understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars.
5. Learn to be proud but not arrogant.
It takes pride to build your ambitions. It takes pride in your community. It takes pride in a cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is to be proud without being arrogant. Do you know the worst kind of arrogance? Arrogance from ignorance. It’s intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.
6. Learn to develop humor without folly.
In leadership, we learn that it’s OK to be witty but not silly; fun but not foolish.
7. Learn to deal in realities.
Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony of delusion. Just accept life as it is—the whole drama of life. It’s fascinating.
Life is unique. Leadership is unique. The skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. However, the fundamental skills of leadership can be adopted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community and at home.
This post originally appeared on SUCCESS.com.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Nov 1, 2017
Employee engagement is now the number one greatest issue businesses are faced with today. The world has an employee engagement crisis, with serious and potentially lasting repercussions for the global economy.
Though companies and leaders worldwide recognise the advantages of engaging employees – and many have instituted surveys to measure engagement – employee engagement has barely budged in well over a decade.
Gallup has been tracking employee engagement in the U.S. since 2000. Though there have been some slight ebbs and flows, less than one-third of U.S employees have been engaged in their jobs and workplaces during these 15 years. According to Gallup Daily Tracking, 32% of employees in the U.S. are engaged – meaning they are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace. Worldwide, only 13% are engaged.
Gallup’s WorldPoll 2016 Survey is even more alarming as it reveals that the percentage of UK employees feeling engaged at work has plummeted to just 8%, down from 17% in 2012. In other words, about one in 12 British employees are highly involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplaces. These employees psychologically “own” their work, helping move their organisations forward by driving performance and innovation. The bulk of employees in the U.K. –73% — are classified as “not engaged,” meaning they are psychologically unattached and putting little energy or passion into their work. The remaining 19% are “actively disengaged,” resentful that their workplace needs aren’t being met and likely to be acting out their unhappiness on the job.
There’s little doubt that the lack of intrinsic motivation signalled by low engagement scores affects labor productivity. Gallup researchers regularly conduct a “meta-analysis” of recent workplace studies to estimate the relationship between employee engagement and other conventional indicators of business health. The 2016 meta-analysis, which included more than 82,000 business units in 73 countries across 49 industries, found that units in the top one-fourth of engagement scores were 17% more productive and 21% more profitable than those in the bottom one-fourth.
Engaged employees help produce favourable business outcomes in many ways, including though higher retention rates, lower absenteeism and more positive relationships with customers and coworkers. They are more productive largely because they feel valued and well-supported by their organisations — particularly by their immediate managers — and their work aligns with their natural abilities and personal developmental goals.
On average, a fully engaged workforce has:
- 22% higher profitability
- 21% higher productivity
- 10% higher customer engagement
- Up to 65% lower staff turnover
- 37% lower absenteeism
Great leaders realise that the key to improving engagement is to create an inspiring culture, share an inspiring vision and empower team members to contribute positively to the business. When employees feel listened to and valued and also share a passion for the business purpose then incredible things are possible. In my experience team members don’t thrive and contribute their best in a dictatorial environment. They need to feel ownership and take responsibility for their operations – and this is only possible when clear expectations are set and they are held accountable for their actions.
Great leaders understand the importance of consultation and coaching to get employees on board, whilst also acknowledging that they too must walk the talk. If you want your employees to be more engaged as a leader you need to be authentic, transparent and vulnerable. You need to go out of your way to build relationships with others and reward performance. At Engage and Grow we help companies activate 12 engagement keys to make this happen, and the results are typically increases in employee engagement levels of between 250-350% depending on the type and size of the business.
Wouldn’t you like that for your business? If so join me on Weds 22nd November when I will be hosting a free webinar on How To Make Every Team Member A Profit Centre For Your Business. It will radically change your views on the power of engagement and how creating a great business culture is imperative if you are to boost productivity and profitability.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Oct 26, 2017
Purpose has moved to the centre stage in business. It is the glue that keeps organisations aligned and in flow. It connects business owners and leaders with team members and ultimately their customers. It enables business growth as everyone knows what the business stands for and where it is heading. Team members and customers are attracted to businesses that are seeking to be change makers and make a real difference in the world, and so engagement levels increase. That’s the power of an Engaged Purpose.
Let’s be clear purpose is something more profound that corporate social responsibility (CSR). Purpose provides a road map and the opportunity to think much bigger about the impact you and your business are making in the world. It is about so much more than recycling, finding ethical suppliers or recognising the negative effect your business is having on the environment.
So what is an Engaged Purpose?
It is a written statement that clearly communicates to your team what your company does and why. It details the transformation you are trying to create. It provides a structure and framework that will inspire your team to align their daily activities with your company’s larger aspirations.
Purpose is often confused with vision and mission, but they are not the same. Visions, which can be defined as preparation for the future often tend to be factual and so don’t appeal to people’s emotions. Whilst missions tend to describe any work that we believe it is our duty to do. Many visions and missions are too broad in scope and so fail to resonate with team members.
A great purpose always answers the question Why. Why are we doing this? This question gets team members, customers and all the other business stakeholders to become engaged in the business. It motives them to find the answer to How the business achieves this solution. A compelling purpose touches the heart rather than the mind. It provides the road map where all stakeholders feel that they are making a contribution to the organisation’s success, and so fulfils Maslow’s third hierarchy of needs which is comradery and positive relationships
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Crafting Your Purpose
Mistake # 1. Written for the wrong audience.
Many purpose, mission or vision statements are written for the organisation’s customers. This is wrong. Most customers don’t care – they choose to deal with you for reasons other than some words about why you exist and what you do. The people who matter here are your team. Write your Purpose for them, to engage them, and Engaged Customers will become a by-product. (But do write it knowing that customers may read it, too.)
Mistake # 2. Disconnected from the team and confused with vision or mission.
Purpose should not be confused with vision – which can be defined as “preparation for the future,” or mission – which might be described as “any work we believe it is our duty to do.” Certainly both have value, as they are all crucial to your business’ growth and success. =In our experience, however, visions and missions often don’t fully resonate with the teams that are tasked with achieving them (see Mistake #1).
“Purpose-driven organisations are believed to have better results across a variety of measures, with 89% of participants saying they encourage greater employee satisfaction, 85% better customer advocacy and 81% higher quality products and services.” – EY (formerly Ernst and Young)
Why an Engaged Purpose is Important?
In a study of employees at various companies, EY found that a staggering 87% of respondents believe companies perform better over time when they have a purpose that goes beyond profit. Additionally, EY found a great purpose resulted in:
• 85% BETTER CUSTOMER ADVOCACY
• 89% GREATER EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION (great news, if you’re looking to reduce staff turnover)
• 81%HIGHER QUALITY AND SERVICES
There was another standout figure: only 37% of respondents said their company’s business model and operations were well aligned with its purpose. Imagine what would be possible if more team members became aligned and engaged with the business purpose? Increased productivity, profitability, happier employees, more innovation and creativity and just some of the results.
If you’d like to learn more about The Power of Purpose To Ignite Extra-Ordinary Performance join me for a free workshop being held as part of York Business Week.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Sep 26, 2017
Are busy teams really productive? This is something I often reflect on for both myself and my clients. I know that in the past I have confused busyness with being productive but increasingly I have come to realise that they are not the same things.
As Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher notes “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” A team or individual can be really busy but not productive, and so not achieve the results they were hoping for. Just think about it. You can spend all morning on social media and clocked up hours in the office but have you really been productive and moved your business towards its goals.
Here are 5 ways to decide if you are being busy or productive:
1. How measurable are your goals? Everything you do should be aimed toward accomplishing something profitable. Clarify your goals with your team if they are confused about the current priorities. If you can’t tell how a team member’s daily activity moves you toward your goal in some way, it’s likely they are busy rather than productive. Always track the results of your efforts to reach your goals with easily readable metrics.
2. What tasks can you remove? Examine every task your team undertakes. Is it really necessary? If not, is it still productive or profitable? If it fails that test, it’s subject to elimination or severe streamlining. For a number of years, I created a monthly newsletter full of great content but I never bothered to ask you if you found it valuable. Once I did I changed tact and now deliver you Wednesday Wisdom which is shorter and more concise.
3. How’s your Return on Investment? Does your team’s output consistently earn the organisation more than it pays all of you? If not, start honing your Personal ROI (PROI). Outsource tasks that people outside your team can do more effectively and less expensively, stop doing tasks below your pay-grades, and as a leader, don’t micromanage. Always look for a more productive or profitable alternative to every task. For example, I’m not an expert at building marketing funnels I could spend time figuring it out, but it’s not worth my time, versus a trained expert who can build in quickly and effectively.
4. Check your meeting meter. As you rise in leadership, you’ll be spending more time in meetings, because they represent your “work,” where decisions are being made. But they can definitely steal your time if you’re not careful. If a meeting doesn’t come with a purpose, an agenda, and decisions to be made, skip it. Leave at the promised end time. Encourage others to be brief and to the point with their concerns and comments.
5. Is your social media helping or hurting? Maybe social media represents the wave of the future, but it can be a huge timewaster. Is it even something that your team directly profits from using? Is it necessary for doing your job, such as marketing, PR, or HR? If not, skip it at work. Not everyone needs to be using Facebook pages and Twitter at work. Appoint someone to deal with it using the latest tools to maximise time use, or outsource it if you can do so less expensively.
6. Are you proactive or reactive? Do you and your team leap into action only when prodded, or do you review your strategy on a regular advance basis, so you constantly greet change with enthusiasm?
RESULTS RULE.
At the end of the day it all boils down to this: productive teams produce results. Busy teams produce more busywork. Unless you work for an organisation where results aren’t always immediately apparent, like an international charity, it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to determine whether or not you and your team are productive.
Finally, as John Wooden, an American college basketball coach notes. “Don’t confuse activity with achievement.”
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Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Sep 11, 2017
No-one I speak to disputes the fact that we live in a VUCA world full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. We are living in a world where change is ever greater, where the future is less predictable, where the options increase exponentially, and the way we think about these options has undoubtedly changed.
Today, leaders are inundated with huge amounts of information and need to make decisions faster than ever. However, there is no way that just one person can manage that volume of data. Increasingly organisations are realizing the power of shared leadership and collective teams to help them navigate this volatile marketplace.
Whilst many might think that the concept of Shared Leadership is a new phenomenon, the fact is that in nature animals have been applying the principles of shared leadership for literally millions of years.
Take a herd of horses for example. They have existed on this planet for over 45 million years, compared to the 6 million years that humans have inhabited the earth. They have learnt to be agile and adapt to their changing environments through sharing leadership and can teach us some key leadership skills to help us survive in these challenging times.
In a herd of horses, leadership is shared.
The lead mare sets the direction and pace of the herd. The lead stallion keeps the herd together and protects it from predators. Each member of the herd has a role in protecting the health of the herd. All of the horses in the herd contribute to the socialisation of new or young members, teaching them what behaviours are acceptable and correcting those who could behave in ways that could compromise the health of the herd. The overwhelming goal of the herd leadership is to create unity, harmony and collaboration whilst keeping the herd safe.
Safety is a key consideration for herd members because horses are prey animals, so they live under threat of attack every day. The herd leaders need to create and maintain what Simon Sinek refers to as a Circle of Safety. They need to foster an environment free of danger and give the herd members a sense of belonging, the power to make decisions and offering trust and empathy. And guess what that is what we need to do as leaders in the workplace too.
The Diamond Model of Leadership
Based on the principles of the herd the Diamond Model of Leadership, developed by June Gunter of Teaching Horse, aptly reveals that for horses to place their trust in their leaders, they must know four things about them. The same four things that our team members want to know about us.
- Attention – when leaders are paying attention they can detect even the most subtle shifts In the environment
- Direction – leaders give clear direction of how to respond to these shifts
- Energy – through assessing the situation leaders decide on the energy and pace required to respond to the situation
- Congruence – leaders display congruence of their inner and outer expressions and are aligned in your actions. Ultimately the herd members must know that the leaders have their best interests at heart, at all times, and are not acting in a self-serving manner.
Attention, Direction, Energy, Congruence: When leaders demonstrate these characteristics and skills the herd become confident in their leadership. And the bottom line is that confidence in the leader makes the herd agile in times of change.
And the same is true for our teams in the workplace. To gain confidence, leaders must demonstrate they are paying attention to what is going on their organisation. They must be present and able to see the entire picture and what is happening. They need to quickly make decisions and give clear direction to the team with focused, inspiring energy that engages the team members to take action. Finally, leaders need to be authentic and have a clear, unambiguous intention that is trusted by the team. Leaders need to act from the perspective of “we” rather than “me”.
When these four attributes are present and aligned in leaders it inspires confidence in their leadership and makes the organisation agile to respond to the changing business environment.
And if you don’t believe me, I challenge you to go and experience Horse Assisted Leadership Transformation (HALT). If you don’t show up and pay attention, have clarity of direction, walk with purpose and be congruent in your actions, you will not be seen as an inspiring, compelling leader who the horse trusts and so he will not walk with you. But guess what, neither will your team members. They might not be so immediate in their feedback as the horse, but over time they will get disillusioned, lose trust and respect for you resulting in decreased productivity and profitability.
Interested and want to learn more, then connect with me and let’s have a powerful conversation. You can reach me at julia@businesshorsepower.com. I look forward to connecting with you.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Aug 30, 2017
It’s a fact of life that adversity happens but it is the way that we handle it that helps defines who we are and what type of person you are. How do respond when things don’t go to plan? Do you become dominant and aggressive, or do you disconnect from life and hide out?
We’ve all experienced difficult times in our work or home lives, often through events and circumstances outside our control. But like great trees, humans grow stronger when exposed to powerful winds. Here are 10 suggestions for dealing with the hard times when they happen.
1. Take responsibility. Assume an “I can do something” attitude rather than pointing fingers. If nothing else, you can control your own response to the situation.
2. Limit the focus. Don’t let the problem become all encompassing. When you compartmentalize the difficulty, you can focus on a workable solution.
3. Be optimistic. The ultimate belief in life as positive, even with hard-times and troubles, will result in positive behaviours and positive actions.
4. Think creatively. Approach the problem from new and different directions. Trust your creativity.
5. Have courage. Having courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. It means that you don’t let the fear get in the way of doing what you need to do.
6. Take action. Handling the day-to-day details can keep you from getting bogged down in the mud of adversity. Determine what can be done, and do it.
7. Take the long-range view. Remember that “this too shall pass.” Recount other times when you have overcome challenges.
8. Maintain a sense of humour. Even in the darkest times, laughter can help ease the pain.
9. Get support. No need to do it alone. Ask for help.
10. Don’t quit. Persistence may be the greatest of human qualities that help us overcome adversity. Consider how water smoothes stones and wind sculpts cliffsides
I really hope these top tips on handling adversity help you, they have helped me no end.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
