BC’s Bookshelf
Think Like A Horse by Grant Golliher 2002
WHY This Book: I LOVE horses and I LOVE riding them. In fact, I just got my very own horse last November. A horse will not work for you if they do not trust you or if you don’t treat them well. You really have to have a collaborative relationship and agree upon shared language and expectations with each other. When I was looking for books to read, this one popped on the search results and I was intrigued. I wanted to learn what Golliher understood about horses that could apply to how we coach and lead others, and I can use with my new horse Eleanor.
WHO About the Author: Grant Golliher has worked with horses for over 50 years. First as a ranch hand, then as a professional polo player, and now as owner of Diamond Cross Ranch in Wyoming. People have referred to Golliher as a “horse whisper” because of his ability to create connections with horses and reach “untrainable” horses. At Diamond Cross Ranch, Golliher conducts workshops and retreats for groups from all sectors and for all sizes. The sessions include demonstrations of Golliher working with a difficult or untrained horse. Attendees see Golliher transform an unmanageable horse to being willing to accept him in the ring and in the saddle. Golliher believes you just “have to think like a horse” and take those lessons you learn with a horse into your people world to succeed.
WHAT’s Inside: Organization: The book chapters are organized around 12 lessons Golliher learned from all the years working with and training horses. The chapters explain how the lessons applies to horses and connects it to what it means for us navigating the human herd.
My Take-A-Ways:Leading is about a philosophy NOT a method. This goes in the face of what we all want-a formula a gameplan. This takes not only using our intuition (yes we do all have intuition) but trusting it.
Learning the “feel”. Golliher says that can’t be taught; it must be learned. He uses the example of learning to drive a shift….at some point you just know when to press in the clutch to shift—it is all about the feel. That requires showing up and paying attention to others and our environment and practice and practice and practice. It requires us to be really present with all our senses, our mind and our heart.
Clear and consistent boundaries create and grow trust, and strong relationships. Golliher says (p.79) “If you compromise your boundaries for the sake of the relationship, sooner or later you will lose the relationship.”
Managing those boundaries—(p. 89) “making the right thing easy and wrong thing hard”, supports consequence and rewards for individual choices. In the end the choice is about them not you.
Lastly, (p.204) “don’t be afraid to move your feet”. When you are facing fear, the unknown, or uncertainly, look past it and do it anyway. Putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation is the only way you will grow. Weigh taking risk, growth, and learning above choosing safety and complacency.
So What?: Leadership requires presence, clarity, and courage. You can’t call it in. You need to be all in on knowing and understanding those you lead or look to you for leadership. Know your boundaries and expectations and communicate them clearly and often. Being nice doesn’t earn you respect. Being nice is a tradeoff for current peace that leads to future chaos. You must practice even when it looks ugly and messy. Understand that we all bring a past with us into the now; however, we can choose to make a different future.