One of my hobbies is stock handling, ie., training my dog to herd sheep, ducks, and cattle. And, I have come to believe that everything I need to know about leadership, I have learned working with my dog and livestock. Well, not really but there are some remarkable similarities….Here’s one insight:

In a typical herding practice, I decide where I want the livestock to go. I then direct my dog to move them there. The livestock, when they are treated correctly and feel safe, go where my dog tells them. If they do not feel safe, they will go into fight or flight mode, and then, there is chaos as livestock start running amok and my dog is running around frantically trying to stop them from getting away.

What causes this? Sometimes, my dog does the “wrong thing”. Sheep dogs can be very naughty. But, sometimes what I think is wrong is actually right, I just didn’t see what my dog saw, given he is closer and more in tune with the stock. Other times, my dog doesn’t have the skills to do what I am asking. And, sometimes I think I gave one cue but my trainer (and my dog) informs me that indeed I given conflicting signals. And, of course, sometimes frankly, I just don’t know what I’m doing.

The result is the livestock at times feel safe or unsafe because of how my dog behaves. And my dog behaves correctly or incorrectly, sometimes because of what I do and sometimes, because of what he chooses to do. Sometimes, it just doesn’t matter what I do, or my dog does, the livestock get spooked or over-react and there they go—running for their lives, creating chaos.  Sound familiar?

Simplified, I am a bit like the CEO, my dog is my Senior Management Team and the livestock are like the rest of the managers and employees. NO!  I am not calling anyone a dog, sheep, duck or a cow. I am just saying, our behavior can look like one of my herding lessons.

As the CEO, you are responsible for providing direction to the organization, letting your senior team take it from there to drive the “correct” behavior. But many things can and do go wrong.  Communication is poorly delivered. Communication is honestly misunderstood, or willfully disregarded. Senior Team members (or you) may be lacking some key leadership skills. And, all the while, managers are intentionally or unintentionally behaving badly and/or employees are just having experiences on and off the job that trigger emotional reactions, which cause actions that can contribute to predictability and success OR chaos and fear. As CEO, you can choose to ignore all this and assume it will all work out or you can assign blame to one party or another, you can get involved when it really isn’t your job to do so OR you can keep boundaries and communication clear, manage your emotions, help others manage theirs and get everything back on track.

The Bailey Group has years of experience helping CEOs gain clarity and confidence to focus themselves and the organization on the behaviors that lead to success. And, we don’t carry herding sticks…