Leadership Training

Getting out of the office and into the round pen

With the vast array of different businesses and companies emerging, the modern day working environment exposes people to many different models of leadership. Many of the current leadership models create a very competitive ‘dog eat dog’ environment for company leaders and employee’s alike. This overly competitive, and sometimes aggressive approach, to leadership and employee management often creates emotional toxicity in the workplace. This in turn hinders the company’s overall productivity.

In many cases individuals are offered promotions to leadership positions based on their technical skills and abilities. While a company leader may be more than qualified in their ability to execute the goals and objectives of the company this doesn’t necessarily mean they are emotionally equipped to deal with the relationship dynamics that arise in companies between team members and employee’s.

To successfully be able to navigate the complexities of employee relationships in the workplace leaders need to develop a greater degree of empathy, emotional intelligence, emotional resilience and motivational skills.

Using horses in a professional development setting can reveal a lot of important information about the strengths and weaknesses of different styles of leadership. For an individual to truly access their power as a leader they need to develop qualities that cause people to want to follow them.

Horses will not willingly follow someone that abuses their power as a leader. Nor will they follow someone that is uncommitted, hesitant or lacking a calm assertiveness in a crisis. Horses tend follow people who emit a calm, warm, connected yet assertive energy through their body language and mannerisms. Horses honour leaders who’s emotions and energy is congruent with their body language. To truly become empowered as a leader in the eyes of the horse individuals need to have the courage to willingly step into their authenticity as a human being.

Skerrett Equine offers Leadership based workshops that empower Leaders to develop these powerful leadership qualities through the use of horses.

Why Horses For Leadership Training

Horses are heard animals and they rely upon each member of the herd to play their role in keeping the herd safe and cohesive. Within each herd of horses every horse will play out different roles within the herd dynamic. There are typically four roles that can be identified within the herd:

The Nurturer Companion

Some horses will play out the role of the nurturer companion, mutually grooming each horse and making sure each horse’s need for comfort and connection is provided. These nurturer companions are adept at sensing the needs of others and finding a way to provide those needs. They therefore play the important role facilitating the overall wellbeing of the herd as well as assisting herd members in maintaining functional relationships with each other.   

The Leader

Being the Leader involves making important decisions for the herd. The herd will look to and rely upon the Leader in crisis situations to make pivotal decisions that lead to the safety and wellbeing of the herd. Lead horses are the ones who exhibit the calmness and confidence in crisis situations allowing them to successfully calm and direct the other herd members and lead them away from danger. The lead horse will also make decisions about how the herd moves around to find sufficient water, pasture and shelter.

The Dominant

The dominant within the herd tends to be the one that is good at bossing other herd members around. The positive attributes of the dominant are in its ability to set physical boundaries between herd members as well as breaking up fights. The dominant horse will also typically be the one that will stand up to, and fight off predators that are trying to attack and kill herd members which is a vitally important role within the herd.

The Sentinel

The sentinel within the herd is observing the environment and keeping watch for any potential threats or problems that may be approaching. The sentinel will actively gather information from the environment surrounds and use that information to benefit the herd. The information may be gathered to help the herd to make a decision, to move to better pastures or a more reliable water supply, or to warn the herd of an approaching threat.

Each role within the herd is equally important and each role plays its part in benefitting the needs of the whole. This concept of different roles within the herd correlates directly with the roles that we play within a company. The overall success of a company is directly related to the effectiveness of these individual roles being fulfilled within the company. Good leadership demands a good understanding of who is best suited to fulfil each individual role within the company. A good leader will know the importance of each role and how that role contributes to the company’s overall success.

Unfortunately, if these roles within the company are not well defined and supported or they are out of balance, productivity and longevity will suffer. It may even lead to the company’s stagnation and downfall.

Using Horses to develop leadership skills gives the participants the ability to see how their style of leadership effects the people they interact with and lead. Horses don’t care about a leaders reputation, credentials or status in life. Horses respond to how you make them feel and the way you communicate with them. For a horse to see you as a leader you need to embody strong leadership qualities that create a sense of trust between you and the horse. As a leader you need to be able to demonstrate a degree of competency in all four roles before a horse will willingly follow and engage with you.

Our Approach

Our Approach involves selecting from a variety of experiential based activities, which will help meet the needs of individuals wanting to develop valuable leadership qualities. Examples of activities include the following:

• Leadership through Relationship
• Connective round pen
• Embodying the goal
• Merge the herd

 Find out more about these activities.

Requirements

Experience or knowledge of horses is not required. The only requirement is an open mind and a willingness to engage. Even people with a fear of horses can benefit from this work. The horse is simply there to help facilitate the learning process. 

We provide the horses that will be used in your session. Our horses have had extensive groundwork training and have a very calm and quiet nature. 

What you can expect from our 1 Day Workshop

Attend our 1 day Leadership Training and you will receive 7 hours of horse and human facilitation with a fully accredited facilitator. Within these 7 hours, you will experience theory (principles and methodologies for effective Leadership), demonstrations, simulations, experiential learning opportunities, working individually and as a group, a reflective session and time for questions and answers.

Outcomes include enhanced communication skills, understanding of the different leadership styles and how to embody a more balanced leadership style, an understanding of the common relationship dynamics that occur in the workplace and how to dissolve conflicts, leadership skills that empower each individual to higher levels of fulfilment within their specified role within your company, and enhanced interpersonal relationship skills.

All workshop materials are provided for you. This includes; workbook, relevant theory and methodology printed sheets, stationary, and a certificate of successful completion.

Our 1 day workshop begins at 9:00 AM and is structured to allow for a lunch break of 40 minutes and two 20 minute breaks for morning and afternoon tea. We provide locally sourced, wholesome, privately catered lunch as well as morning and afternoon tea. Our day is complete at 4:00 PM. 

After completing our 1 day workshop your facilitator will personally follow up within 30 days with a phone call to find out how the participants are progressing.

The benefits of attending a 1 day workshop include:

• Bringing everyone together to connect for one day
• Easy to squeeze into the busy professional calendar
• Provides inspiration by being out of the office and back into nature
• Cost effective

What you can expect from our 2 Day Workshop

Attend our 2 day Leadership Training and you will receive 14 hours of horse and human facilitation with a fully accredited facilitator. Within these 14 hours, you will experience theory (principles and methodologies for effective team building), demonstrations, simulations, experiential learning opportunities, working individually and as a group, a reflective session and time for questions and answers.

Outcomes include enhanced communication skills, understanding of the different leadership styles and how to embody a more balanced leadership style, an understanding of the common relationship dynamics that occur in the workplace and how to dissolve conflicts, leadership skills that empower each individual to higher levels of fulfilment within their specified role within your company, and enhanced interpersonal relationship skills.

All workshop materials are provided for you. This includes; workbook, relevant theory and methodology printed sheets, stationary, and a certificate of successful completion.

Our 2 day workshop begins each day at 9:00 AM and is structured to allow for a lunch break of 40 minutes and two twenty minute breaks for morning and afternoon tea. We provide locally sourced, wholesome, privately catered lunch as well as morning and afternoon tea. Each day is complete at 4:00 PM.

After completing our 2 day workshop your facilitator will personally follow up within 30 days with a phone call to find out how your team is progressing.

The benefits of attending a 2 day workshop include:

• Deepening the participants experience by allowing for more time to reflect and integrate their learning
• Creating a deeper bond and kinship can be formed between employees
• Additional time allows for participants to go deeper into their learning experience
• Allowing participants to refine and consolidate their newly learned skills
• Costs savings of $400

Packages

Recommendations

We are able to provide your company with the recommendation of a unique corporate experience (not included in the packages) of dinner and drinks for your team at the prestigious Yandina Station. Use this additional time to bond, reflect on the days learning, relax and unwind. Yandina Station is located in between our venue and Coolum Beach. Please contact us for additional information for your unique corporate experience.

Accomodation and transport are not included in the packages