We are also located right next to the Lac du Flambeau Reservation, and more Native Indian people serve in the military per capita than any other ethnic group, including whites. Both my grandfathers served, as did almost every one of their generation, and my great uncle lost his life in WWII. One of my other great uncles was shot down and held as a POW. His injuries stayed with him his whole life. Service is about sacrifice.

Veterans get this special day because when they volunteer to serve, they are signing up to make the ultimate sacrifice, if required. For a while there, the military was seeming like a pretty easy way to get some societal advantages like a college education and preferential federal job placement. Not so much anymore. Besides, even in a prolonged time of peace, those who enlisted still were signing up to put their life on the line if called upon.

Of course, some people could not fathom going into the military. Combat training is not for them, and they may be morally opposed to war.There have been many other ways Americans have served. I am grateful for the teachers, policy makers, environmentalists, doctors, infrastructure workers… the list of dedicated Americans goes on and on.

After having one of the most divisive elections in history, I think it is important to think about service to our country. We should use the Vets as an inspiration and look up to them to think about what we can give to make the world a better place. This last year, we have seen people who “take the knee” for the National Anthem because they feel we, as a country, could be doing more.

Maybe it is sacrilegious to say this on Veterans Day, but I have been thinking a lot about the Pledge of Allegiance. It may have started while watching Game of Thrones, and seeing different kingdoms pledge to stand by this fictional leader or that, no matter what. Some swore their sword, but then do not fulfill their obligations. I wonder how many Americans have said the Pledge of Allegiance thousands of times, yet threatened to move to Canada if there was either this outcome or that? It is sort of like wedding vows, where people gather all their favorite witnesses together as they swear they will give their lives to this other person, then go roll in the hay with the next person who temps them. What are you swearing to sacrifice?

This is why Veterans Day is so important. Vets really do stand by a commitment and serve. There is no not following through for them. The do go to war when called upon. They together, black, white, Indian, man, woman, Jew, Christian, Muslim, rich and poor, are willing to do their best and if need be, put their life on the line so we can have a society that represents freedom for all.

So let’s use this day not only to thank Vets but to remember that America is a place that is intended to shine as a beacon of hope across the world. We represent inclusive policies, wise conservation policies, a place where our public has the right to visit some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and of course, unprecedented opportunity and freedom to speak out. So find a vet today and thank them. Let them know what you are willing to do to help make America shine as a global symbol of freedom. What you are willing to do to protect the values that they put their life on the line for.

Thank you Veterans for your service and example of leadership!

Keep Leading,
Rad

Propel Yourself to New Levels

Last month, I went to a 1-day riding clinic which was pretty much a waste of time, but did end up propelling me to new levels of riding. It wasn’t that the instruction was so good, in fact, I thought it was pretty bad and I came home feeling like I knew nothing. After a few days of thinking I that I was just a horrible horse trainer, I decided that was not true and I began to increase the amount of time I worked with my horse Ranger, the way that we have been working, using a style that has been working for us.

I have to say, I was a little harder on Ranger and he rose to the challenge. I rode him in a bit, which is a piece of metal in the mouth of the horse and if used properly is not a cruel device at all. A bit is used by 99% of people who ride horses, but there are alternatives. Because Ranger had a rough start when he was a little guy, and because he was pretty mistrusting, I had often used a “bitless bridle” for Ranger, something that seemed to put him at ease.

Ranger rose to the challenge of having a bit in his mouth again, and did well dropping his head, tucking his chin, and moving all the individual body parts I asked him to. After several days of intense training (by our standards), Ranger began to plateau. He was cooperative, but it seemed like he was being pushed.

Horse Personality

I like my horses “alive” and to have personality. I like them to be safe and obedient, but to still be who they are. I let Ranger have another go at the bitless bridle and boy did he seem to appreciate it. Ranger was gentler that he had been with the bit, calmer, and had more of what cowboys call “try”.

My kids have both started to ride Ranger and have figured out that they can control him without getting hurt or hurting him. My son, 8 years-old, actually just started riding for the first time on his own and he LOVED IT! This just made me so happy because I love horses and invest a lot of time and family resources into them. To share the joy I get, with my family, would mean the world to me.

Lessons Learned

So here is what I learned this summer and how it can be applied to any situation in life. There will be times where some well-meaning soul will try and teach you something and tell you you’re doing it all wrong. Take what you can from these people, but never stop trusting in yourself and using what works for you. It is important to get outside advice, but I know from life coaching that as coaches we are not supposed tell someone how to do something, but rather help them on a journey of self-exploration. Look inward to judge yourself and see if you can do it better, but believe in yourself and trust in your talents.

Next, look to your team for feedback and make sure you are taking care of them the way they want to be taken care of. Sometimes there are external pressures for how you should treat your team, what they should be allowed and what kind of benefits they should get. However, if you want to really invest in your team, take care of them they by asking them what they need. A team member will tell you how they like to work. If you make a working environment a pleasurable place to work and build a trusting relationship, you will get a 100% return on your investment.

So there it is, a little tip from a Fall Northwoods horse training session. Trust in your ability and take care of your team. Next thing you know, you will be the kind of leader you have always wanted to be.

Keep leading,
Rad

As a social creatures, humans are predisposed to look to others in their social circle and try to be like them. This phenomena can be very helpful if you surround yourself with positive role models that help you strive to be a better person, but it can be very limiting too. You must be careful as you strive to become a better person that you don’t limit yourself by trying to do things exactly like those around you. You must go about things in your own way, so that you can be the best you possible.

Lessons from Movie Night at Home

The other night, I watched Kung Fu Panda 3, which I have to say was just as good as the first movie (rare for sequels). Without giving anything away, I can say that it had some focus, just as the other Kung Fu Panda movies, on developing talents not as those around you develop theirs, but rather to be the best individual possible. To be unique, and use one’s strengths.

It is funny that the Animal Leadership System has so much to do with Kung Fu Panda, but that is what we teach. I firmly believe that you are a unique individual, and if you learn how to be the best you, you can be,  you will be much more effective than if you try to live life as someone else.

A Personal Story

For me personally, this lesson was thrust upon me because of my learning disability. I still have trouble with that term, because I am not sure that disability is the correct descriptor. One of the ways such a difference in learning styles (the disability) is diagnosed is that the student does not perform as well as other students in some areas, yet is as bright if not brighter, than their peers in many ways. In my case, reading and spelling were very hard to learn, yet my IQ was in the 97^th percentile.

Anyway, I could never, and still can’t do everything that my peers do, but I can do many things my peers can’t do. When I stopped trying to do the same things at the same times as all my peers and focused on what came natural to me, I started to thrive.

Working as the Chairman of two Charter Schools (ones within the public school system, not ones that direct public funds outside public institutions) I still see this with students. Many Special Ed students gravitate to our charter schools because they feel there is more freedom to learn in a way that is conducive to their individual strengths. Traditionally, students are taught to all learn the same thing, at the same pace, as they sit on the same piece of furniture, assuming the same posture…and if they don’t perform the same, they are failures or have a disability. People are individuals and MUST play to their strengths!

Applying Lessons to Your Life

I think about the horses I work with. Some are hard to get to move. Some are hard to get to stand still. Both traits are really handy depending on what you are doing. I could never take five horses, throw them in a round pen, and teach them with the same style at the same time. They have individual strengths and as a good trainer I’m sensitive to that and try to coax them out.

So, how about you? Are you trying to perform in the same manner as those around you? Do you give yourself a hard time when your unique strengths start to show themselves? Do you try to foster your strengths so that you can be the best uniquely you, you can be?

It is so important that you begin to live in your own skin and develop the you, which only you can be. We need you in this world because there is only one and we have been waiting for your talents. Your greatness is something that only you can bring to the table. When it comes to being an individual, love it and live it so you can best serve those around you.

Keep leading,
Rad

The key here, is that because people are different, they look for different things when they communicate. It is easy to assume everyone is just like us, but they are not.

I am sure by now you have taken the Animal Leadership personality test and found out whether you are a bear, wolf, eagle, or horse (If not, go take the test here). Each one of these personality types has things they are looking for when communicated with, and if you give them information in the way they like it fed to them, they will be more receptive to your message.

Many people don’t know that I do a fair bit of real estate sales when I am not giving Animal Leadership talks (or playing with my horses). Where I live, selling real estate can mean anything from small, year-round homes, to large tracks of forest land, to extravagant lakefront summer homes. Although sales is not natural for a guy who spent years as a grassroots conservationist, I love it because I am out and about working at my own schedule, and actually spend more time outside than I did in my last few conservation-related jobs. I also love it because I can approach it not as a salesman, but as a provider of information, and more of a consultant on anything related to the potential purchase. The way I provide this information is key to whether or not people will feel secure enough to purchase a property. It is the perfect testing ground for all things related to Animal Leadership.

Using the Wrong Bait?

Here is some of what I have learned about communicating effectively with all different kinds of people. First off, once someone is really comfortable with who they are, they are not going out of their way to prove themselves or impress you. These people, really great people to be around, are going to expect to hear things in a way that makes sense to them. It is almost like fishing, where if you have the wrong bait, some fish just won’t bite.

The Bear Personality

So, when you are dealing with someone who might be a bear person, you are going to want to be direct. Don’t beat around the bush or try to sugar coat things. Don’t waste time or try to be too persuasive. Let a bear person know the facts and listen to their opinion. Keep things in the moment and on topic. These people are all about business, so let them know you are too, or at least when you are trying to connect with them.

The Wolf Personality

Wolf people love the fun and what is possible. They want things upbeat. They will tell stories and like to be told stories as well. Keep things fun and light and provide information in an optimistic way. Being too abrupt or negative could scare them off.

The Eagle Personality

Eagle people like lots of details about things. They don’t make decisions lightly and need to spend some time taking it all in before they are ready to swoop down and grab their fish. For eagle people, you must not push them and make sure you do anything you can to help them understand the whole situation. Often, they will not move on until they feel confident that captured it all and haven’t missed anything.

The Horse Personality

Horse people are social people who like to talk about social things. They will put their necks out for friends, but will run if they think you have bad intentions. Let them know you care. They are not afraid of a job or having some work to do, but it should be specific and direct. The most common personality type is the horse.

Be Yourself

So the reason I mention all this is it is important to be yourself, and you will naturally gravitate to others like you. However, you can be so much more effective as a person if you help others be who they are and know how to communicate with them. Be a leader, know who you are and help others be who they are. Learn these few simple techniques and watch how it will help you make friends, communicate, and even increase sales if that is something you’re after. Live in your skin and let others live in theirs. Communicate effectively and feed others information the way they like it.

‘Till next time, keep leading,
Rad

This month I have been focusing on lessons learned from horses. This is a big part of my life these days and I am actually working on a new book that will explore leadership lessons learned from horses. There are two lessons from horsemanship that have proven to be very helpful to me lately. The first has to do with requests we put on the horse and the second has to do with expected outcomes.

The Cues We Give

Sometimes we give a horse a cue to perform a movement, and if it doesn’t respond right away so we increase the cue. A cue is our way of requesting the horse do something and it is usually amplified by some degree of irritation. Simply put, if at first the cue doesn’t work, human nature leads us to increase the level of irritation associated with the cue, until the horse responds with the correct answer.

What I have found while riding is if you don’t give the horse time to respond, you might increase the irritation when the horse is already trying. The horse can then get frustrated and foul tempered. The lesson here is to make a request and see how it plays out, give the other individual time to digest the information and respond. This is especially true when teaching. There is a saying that you should never discipline a horse who is trying. This is true in so many aspects of human interactions too.

A Second Lesson

The second lesson relates directly to the first, and is a pillar of good horsemanship. That is patience. Patience is one of the keys to working with a horse. Often when working with a horse, things do not go as you hope they might. Sometimes you want to have a certain outcome and it is just not happening. It is easy to get frustrated and even mad at the horse, but this is always the wrong thing to do. You must be patient.

The horse will usually try to do what you are asking if it understands and doesn’t have other things on its mind. Sometimes it does, and things just don’t work out for you. In these cases, you don’t want to freak out on, yell at, or beat up your horse. You want to be patient, and go back to a place where you know things will be good. From there you can see if you’re ready for the next step, or if you need to break it down some more.

I can remember days where I had an allotted an hour to go for a trail ride but my horse did not want to leave the barn. Instead of riding the trail that day we might work on walking 10 feet away from the barn, and back to the barn. Then 11 feet, and back. Then 12 feet, and back. You get the picture. You want to leave at a good spot, not a fight.

Practice Patience

So this week as you are interacting with family, friends, and colleagues, practice letting them have time to react to you before you make assumptions about what they need or mean. Also, practice patience and if you for some reason don’t see eye-to-eye, get back to a place of mutual understanding and leave it there. You don’t have to always win in healthy relationships.

Good luck with these lessons, and feel free to contact me if you ever feel like visiting my pasture and horsing around. It is amazing what working with these animals can teach us.

Keep leading,
Rad

Horses so powerful yet so graceful, and non-threatening that almost anyone can hardly help but admire them. Although capable of inflicting great damage, usually a horse is gentle and supportive. Horses allow themselves to be put into a service role, and in fact, have served humans more than any other species in the history of the world.

Servants, Past

The first horse people were on the Mongolian steppe, where reindeer herders adapted into horsemen. These people collected wild horses, kept a band of mares and geldings, and used the still wild stallions for breeding. They ate horse meat, drank horse milk, and used the horses for travel. The services of the horse allowed the great Mongol leader, Genghis Khan, to establish the largest empire in history.

Servants, Present

Now, horses are serving us in other ways. Recently NBC news just featured a story of inner-city kids in Philadelphia riding horses to keep them out of trouble. Thanks to a great community leader, Malik Divers, these unlikely equestrians are learning responsibility by taking care of horses as the horse shares its calming spirit and associated power with young riders who could otherwise be into gangs or other such nonsense. You can watch a clip from NBC below.

Often when we think of developing leadership skills we think about how to be in front and have others follow our will. However, true leadership is about service. It is not the next great idea that usually changes a situation, but rather the required support to see any one of a million existing ideas reach their full potential. Some of the best leaders are those who foster others through service and thereby build a tremendous base of grateful followers. We can all take a lesson from the horse by keeping ourselves in a powerful enough condition that we are ready to carry those who need us.

Leading on, until next time,
Rad Watkins

Leadership is such a strange concept. There are so many ways that one can be a leader. You can be a leader by being outstanding in your field and being the type of person others are trying to catch up to. You can be a leader by helping others succeed. You can be a leader by having followers and creating a movement. Stacey Westfall is a leader in all of those ways.

A Bit About Stacy Westfall

For those of you who don’t know Stacy Westfall, she is an outstanding horse trainer and accomplished horseback rider. She is also a people trainer. In 2006 Stacy won the Road to the Horse competition, where 3 amazing trainers have a short time (over 3 days) to take a horse that has never been handled by humans and start it under saddle. By the end of the 3^rd day they are having the horses drag objects, handlers are standing on their backs, and doing things that many of us can’t do with our older, well trained horses. Some of the best trainers in the world compete at this competition and Stacy was the first woman to ever compete, and she won! In 2012 Stacy was also inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

You may know Stacy from a video of her 2006 win at the World Quarter Horse Congress reigning event. For that win she rode a black horse without a bridle (no reins or other means of control) and no saddle. She moved the horse through high speed technical maneuvers as she performed to the song Live Like You Were Dying, by Tim McGraw. She dedicated the ride to her father that passed away just a month before, and the video went totally viral on Facebook (I have posted a link on our FB page https://www.facebook.com/AnimalLeadership/).

Untruths Revealed

You may remember the video that was circulated because it claimed Stacy was deaf and mute and used ancient Indian training methods to train her horse in just days. Now in the Road to the Horse, riders do train their horses to do amazing things, but not things like the riding in the video we saw of Stacy at the World Congress. If you have not seen it, check it out. By the way, Stacy was thoughtful enough to take the time to explain the untruths said about her and use it as a teaching moment (https://westfallhorsemanship.com/2011/09/22/stacy-westfall-deaf-mute/).

So, in the world of horses, Stacy Westfall is a leader. She could even be called a Rock Star! She’s awesome. Stacy was nice enough to agree to let me interview her for a new book I am working on, and although there is a lot about horses and leadership I plan to share with you later, I really just want to share with you a couple more things about Stacy Westfall that impressed me with her leadership.

Horse Training Skills Online

Stacy has a BIG online presence. She made a video series that is on YouTube where she trains this horse, Jac, from an unbroken colt to a nice riding horse. She records the process over a series of videos and it is so educational for those of us who train horses. Stacy is amazing teacher, and really an expert animal behaviorist. She makes sure her human students understand what her horse students are thinking as she works with them. She could have packaged this series and sold it for $200+, but she chose to put it out there for free online. I asked Stacy why, and her reasoning was that she remembered starting out and wishing she had resources to help. Stacy does have videos for sale (see https://westfallhorsemanship.com/ to learn more) but this series, one of the best I have seen on starting a colt, she is giving away to help anyone who wanted it. To me that says something about her character.

In the time I was able to spend with Stacy we talked about other important aspects of life like parenting, careers, future goals, and of course, horses. Stacy previously lived in a RV with her family for two years traveling the country and then settled down at the request of one of her sons, who, although he thought the experience was awesome, wanted a normal life. Stacy quickly agreed and they settled down, again saying something about her character and sacrifices she was willing to make for those she led.

Another non-typical thing that Stacy has done that exemplifies her leadership skills, is putting together a conference for those wanting a career with horses. This is sort of a big dream for many people but they don’t know where to start. Stacy decided to help folks out by putting together this resource event and sharing her knowledge and connections (learn more at http://mmrm.org/retreats-and-events/equine-career-conference/).

So, I will bring you more from Stacy in the months to come, but I would like you to think about Stacy’s example and see what you can do to be more of a leader. Think about how you would like to be outstanding in your career. Think about what you can do to give back to others. Think about how you can make sacrifices to support family and those around you. I hope a glimpse into the accomplishments of Stacy Westfall motivates you to get out there and push yourself to do good things. Leadership, after all, is about setting goals and accomplishing them, and being the sort of person who can help those around you accomplish their goals too.

A Vision of Leadership

After living this way, I realized that is what leadership is all about. It is about having a vision, building skills, motivating, walking the talk, following up, and keeping positive. It is really the same thing whether you are leading yourself or leading others, because leading is not about having followers, but engaged participants.

I have to say, being a public speaker and coach who helps others with these things, the biggest thing I have to come to terms with is that my vision is different than the societal norm, and that is okay. If you are engaging in the Animal Leadership message, then maybe it is because it is a little different and that appeals to you too. For me, I don’t have the goal of making gazillions of dollars, living in a fat spread in L.A., and traveling the world constantly. I don’t mind studying the principles taught by those who have achieved these things, but I want to apply them to my own life, my own vision. For me that means having lots of time to get out in nature and almost do nothing, time to play with horses, time to be around my family and most importantly my little kiddos.

Don’t Let Others Dictate Your Vision

The reason I share all this with you is because all too often we let others dictate our vision of what the world should be. Often this is unconscious. We simply start to emulate those around us. This can be a very important part of self-improvement (or a very negative one), but that is not what we are talking about here. I am trying to drive home the point that you have to decide how you want to live your life, run your business and then, we must walk that talk.
Does this mean that you have to be some unorthodox outsider? No. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google there was not a huge model out there for how they should run their company, but the decision to make Yoshka, the “company dog” part of their culture was only the beginning of how this company decided its own corporate culture. Now Google is a model for how progressive companies treat employees and do business.

So what I want for you, is that you feel comfortable deciding what sort of life you want to create. What sort of business you want to run. Then go out and do it the best you can. Go out and really embrace it. Be the leader that gets it done. Get motivated to do what it takes, build the skills you need, embrace others who are up for the same ride, walk the talk, and move positively in the direction you want to go.

I hope the Animal Leadership message helps you whether it is making a gazillions dollars, building better corporate team players, losing five pounds, or getting involved by serving your community more. I think the world will be a better place if we really break out of the mold and bring our uniqueness to its fullest. That is why I teach personal development. I need it for myself and need it for others too. So, as the great naturalist philosopher Henry David Thorough (who, by the way, spent a lot of time just wandering around in the woods) “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”

Engage us by letting us know what you think. What are your dreams and what tools do you need to live that life?

Until next time,
Rad