![Tenth-graders visit Teaching Horse Farm to learn leadership lessons]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1579266917/sms/rhkroenatgqnsaa5zvot/TeachingHorseJan202035.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1579266917/sms/rhkroenatgqnsaa5zvot/TeachingHorseJan202035.jpg","width":504}])
Last week, Saint Mary’s 10th-graders discovered that we can learn a lot about leadership, and life, from horses. As part of Saint Mary’s Seminar Program focus on leadership, Saint Mary’s 10th-graders traveled January 15-16, 2020, to the Teaching Horse Farm in rural Johnston County to continue their work with our Seminar partner Teaching Horse about “Leading Through Uncertainty.”
In a herd of horses, leadership is shared. The ever-present goal of herd leadership is health, harmony, and unity. Led by the Teaching Horse team, students interacted with the horses to build trust and connect with the horses using the Diamond Model of shared leadership: attention, direction, energy, and congruence. Teaching Horse teaches us when leaders demonstrate these characteristics and skills, the herd becomes confident in their leadership. We learned that the same is true for people.
Herd members, or people in a community or organization, must know that their leaders are paying attention; that their leaders can give them clear direction; that leaders are able to follow that direction with focused energy providing guidance; and that their leaders display congruence of their inner and outer expressions, using feelings as information and listening to their authentic self.
Some of the life lessons from the experience included learning to set boundaries and take care of ourselves as we lead and help others, understanding how our energy impacts others, learning to earn the trust of others, and learning to focus our attention on the task or challenge at hand.
Students learned how to gain the trust of the horses, how to establish a relationship with the horses, and ultimately directing the horses to follow their lead.
Teaching Horse inspires participants to:
Choose to place and distribute your attention in ways that contribute to the health of the team/community;
be willing to step out in front knowing that you’re not alone;
change the energy, change the outcome, change the question, change the conversation; and
use your authentic voice to increase trust and confidence in leadership.
The outing was a compelling, fun, and inspirational experience for all, as students came away with strategies to use in their lives at school and beyond.
Thanks to June Gunter ’83, Beth Hyjek, and Morgan Ridenhour, for a great day on the farm with your horses! To learn more, visit http://www.teachinghorse.com.
