What am I doing here? What do I hope to learn? Improve? Whose lives, what organizations, and what about the world can I make better after I make myself better? And what does making myself better look like? What about my leadership needs to change?
Big questions. Two years. Pedal to the metal: Let's go.
That's nothing new for me anyway.
I'm here to learn about my natural style's impact on those around me. When I was on horseback, I learned to pick up on the extremely subtle cues that my mount provided. If my hands bounced a fraction of an inch with the motion, his stride became ever so slightly shorter and choppier. I learned to bury my hands in his mane to keep them still. But sometimes, his stride became shorter because my outside leg had slid a little too far forward to maintain the pressure he expected on his side. I strengthened my legs with squats and pilates so I could be firm enough in the saddle to keep him moving forward with long, fluid steps.
I'm here to learn to notice the shorter strides and to learn whether burying my hands in the mane or strengthening my legs is the fix.
I'm here to learn about new possible solutions.
I'm here to learn to notice the choppier strides and learn how to help those around me notice them too.
I'm here to help those around me learn whether burying hands in the mane, strengthening legs, or new solutions are the appropriate actions.
In plainer terms: I want to become a more attuned, aware leader with a broader and deeper range of ways I can flex to get the best out of my teams...and, hopefully, I also want to learn how to help my teams become more attuned, aware leaders with broader and deeper ranges of ways they can flex to get the best out of their collaborative partners.
Marisa, My 5 year old has fallen in love with horseback riding so I am delighted to hear the life lessons that you gleaned from the sport. And being attuned to nuance is crucial to leading teams/managing team dynamics. Thanks for sharing.
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