What Horses Can Teach Us About the Leaders We Really Are

Why self-awareness might be one of the most important skills a leader can develop.

After 15 years working with leaders and organisations, one thing I've come to appreciate is that the impact we have on others is not always the impact we intend.

The way we communicate, respond under pressure, build relationships and make decisions shapes the environment others work in. Over time, these interactions influence culture, trust, productivity and ultimately, organisational success.

Yet even the most capable and well-intentioned leaders aren't always aware of the impact they're having.

This is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about experiential learning, particularly working with horses.

What Horses Teach Us in the Moment

Last Friday, Warren Fitzgerald and I welcomed a small group of leaders and practitioners to The Wagon Stop Wellness Farm in Beechmont to experience Equine Assisted Learning (EAL).

Horses have evolved to be highly attuned to their surroundings. They live in the present, noticing and responding to subtle changes in the behaviour of those around them.

This makes them powerful partners in experiential learning. Their responses can act as a mirror, helping us notice how we're showing up and the impact our behaviour may be having.

The beauty of this approach is that the learning happens in real time. Rather than discussing leadership concepts and hoping to apply them later, participants can experience, reflect, adjust and try something different there and then.

What happens when we get curious?

During one activity, a participant noticed that her instinct was to stand back, observe the herd and avoid disturbing the horses. I asked whether that was familiar to her. Was this how she tended to approach situations in other areas of her life?

It sparked a moment of recognition and a deeper conversation about how she shows up as a leader.

There was nothing wrong with her approach. What mattered was that she noticed it. Because once we're aware of our patterns, we have a choice about whether they're serving us.

What I loved about the morning was how openly people embraced an unfamiliar experience. Being outdoors, away from everyday distractions, created an opportunity to slow down and pay attention. By taking time upfront to establish physical and psychological safety, we created the conditions for participants to approach the experience with openness and curiosity.

When people feel safe enough to be curious, to experiment and to acknowledge what they don't know, different possibilities for learning and connection emerge.

Awareness creates choice

A herd, much like a workplace, is a social system shaped by relationships, communication and behaviour. Working with horses allows us to explore these dynamics and receive immediate feedback about how we're engaging with others.

For me, that's where the real value lies. Not simply understanding what effective leadership looks like, but becoming more aware of how we actually lead.

If we want to be effective leaders and make a positive difference, we need to pay attention to the impact our behaviour is having. Otherwise, we risk unintentionally undermining the very outcomes we're trying to achieve.