The leader whisperer
Without Robert Redford ...
What if we could learn from animals? Equicoaching is a training to boost the performance and the fluidity of its leadership thanks to horses. This technique is based on cognitive neuroscience, neurobiological mechanisms related to cognition (perception, motor skills, language, memory, emotions, etc.)
But how does it work exactly? We had heard of it before. However, we never took action. The real impact for businesses seemed unclear to us. We have to admit: we were skeptical.
One morning, a client asks us for an equicoaching experience in order to integrate her into a change management program in her company. This is how Caroline, co-founder of iNNERSHiP, and Kim, co-founder of video game studio Affordance, decide to live this experience.
The adventure begins at Wasabi Coaching, in the Laurentians in Quebec. The horses are free there. Horses are prey animals. For their safety, they stay in herds. Quickly, it is easy to understand that each horse has a well-defined role within the group.
Exercises are easier said than done
The exercises are chosen according to the audience and the objective. The operation of the exercises seems simple but the participants fail very quickly. Why ? The reasons are unique to each.
- Deconcentration
- Listening problem
- Willingness to do too well and non-alignment
- Embarrassment, fear...
Stakes arise with every move and decision. We have to succeed in setting our limits with a horse that does not speak its language, and make it understand our needs. How to make him do a course in freedom when he does not know us?
The challenge is significant and becomes more complicated as a team because each participant expresses a very different style of leadership. Step by step, we target our difficulties and find solutions to make ourselves understood. We develop new techniques adapted to you for the horse and his team. Instructions or feedback no longer only pass through words. The exercises are revealing!
The horse is a magnifying mirror of your authenticity
The horse will first "analyze" then question your presence, your self-confidence, your courage, your intentions and your communication. They have a hypersensitivity allowing them to detect any signal of danger within a radius of 4 km. The immediate reaction of the horses allows us to reposition ourselves. They react like an immediate lie detector if something is holding the leader back or is out of alignment.
They sense, well before us, any inconsistency in our attitude or our intentions. Like a magnifying glass, they verify the authenticity of his sidekick.
It is therefore an opportunity to learn as a team the different types of leadership within horses, the impact of its non-verbal language and the power of authenticity. We can never repeat it enough: taking a step back and questioning yourself allows you to develop, to find meaning in order to finally be able to feel more committed to your work. This day of equicoaching is a journey of discovery to reveal one's nature as a leader and the impact one can have on others and on oneself.
