Leadership and the Way of the Horse: The Call to Leadership

“Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular path….This is what I must do, this is what I’ve got to have. This is who I am.”
~ James Hillman

There are many forms, styles and manifestations of leaders and leadership. From the home to the boardroom, from co-workers to family members, each system requires a certain type of leader, and each individual has their own unique way of harnessing and utilizing their inner leadership qualities.  This article addresses the inner leader; the leader that resides in each of us.  Often it is lying dormant and seizes us when we least expect it, sending out a call – a moment, or a chapter in one’s life that instigates the leader within to awaken and answer the call to leadership.

In The Soul’s Code, James Hillman addresses the question of whether there is a code to our souls and a blueprint to our destiny.  His Acorn Theory suggests that each human being contains a unique code within them that is present before one begins to live it.   He proposes that we are born with a character, a unique inner genius, that can be the sense of calling or driving force in one’s life.  When we are mindful, aware, and in the present moment  (what we call “horse time”), we are available to hear the call to leadership. The next step is to choose how to respond.

How does one find the courage, creativity, and equanimity to make the choice most authentic to one’s character of leadership?

This is where the horses come in to teach us yet another lesson on leadership, creativity, and mindfulness.  First, one must make the choice to take the role of leader, next is finding the creative choice most authentic to you and what you are relating to, whether that be another being or a task.

Horses respond to clear and effective leadership and require that we balance assertiveness and relatedness.  When we ask our clients to connect up with a horse so the two can walk together, the person must choose the horse that resonates with him/her, choose the rope and way of utilizing the rope that works for him/her and his/her partner, and then must find a way for the two of them to walk together – while leading the way.  All these steps require assertive decision making, which takes courage, confidence, awareness and trust in one’s Self.  It also requires flexible, creative, and innovative problem solving to find what works best for one’s self and one’s relationship with the horse.  Through these experiential exercises one begins to find confidence and creativity in the call to leadership, and the balance and authenticity necessary to harness that inner leader, with its own unique code and genius. There is no one size fits all model, no step by step road map for how to be an effective leader in your life.  Yet, there are basic tenants of leadership and ways to awaken and get in touch with your inner leader.  Experiential activities with horses provides a playground in which one can experiment and be curious about that inner leader –  spending time to learn about and empower it, so in day to day life it can flourish and take flight.

Heading the Call of Leadership

1. Be Mindful in listening for the Call to Leadership
2. Make the decision to Respond.
3. Find your creativity in the expression of your authentic leadership character.
4. Utilize your authentic leadership qualities to problem solve doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.