Why You Need to Upgrade Your Leadership Strategy Now (and How You Can do So.)
Recession Recession Recession.
Its the word being thrown most around organisations atm, but how should it directly affect leadership styles used in organisations, and the leadership development programmes it offers to its employees?
A drastic change is the answer, and you’re the person who will deliver it.
2 years ago, companies invested heavily in graduate recruitment - practically living on campuses, running assessment centres every other weekend. The claims they made about the quality of their workplaces and career development were ‘exagerated’ at best. Not only has this produced a generation of disspointed twenty-somethings, but the same ’salemen’ approach towards internal leadership has also fallen flat upon its face. Employees have discovered that the managements commitment was merely a policy decision rather than a sincere movement.
Leadership Outside the Box: Huggy Bear
I met Huggy Bear seven years ago while purchasing another pony for our programs.
Huggy is a small, round, completely adorable Halflinger pony. He could be the poster pony for the Gund stuffed animal company. One look at Huggy and I bought him on the spot.
In the six years I’ve owned Huggy, I’ve discovered that inside that cute, cuddly body is a tough, unyielding mind, seemingly suspicious of all humans. I have spent hours out in the field watching him gallop around and away from anyone trying to catch him. I have watched him drag countless people out the arena door. Huggy can run through a door backwards faster than most of my horses can go forwards. And yet I have also seen Huggy follow someone around the arena obviously seeking to make a connection.
This horse, with his unique issues and behaviours, has forced me to look at my leadership role in a much more creative way: For the first time I had an employee who couldn’t or didn’t want to be a team player. When we bring a horse home to our farm we consider it a life-long commitment. On the other hand we run a business and we prefer that our horses earn their keep. I believe strongly that animals, as well as people, need to be involved in productive work. I had to find a way to work with Huggy so that he could be part of our team in some capacity.