By Rad Watkins

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