Way of the Horse: The Herd

Way of the Horse, Kohanov

It's the last day of our week with Way of the Horse, and can you believe I've drawn another card in landscape orientation? Funny, that. But, wow, what a card. The first thing you see is the gorgeous herd of horses thundering along together under a cloudy sky, then when you look again -- the sun is actually the eye of a horse's head appearing in the clouds! Gorgeous.

This card is subtitled 'Consensual Leadership', and in the companion book Kohanov makes a case against the notion of 'pecking order' by describing her observations of her own herd, and how different horses become the alpha horse in different situations. It just depends on what's happening and where a horse's strengths lie, and the other horses seem to recognize and acquiesce to this. It's a fluid kind of organic teamwork.
'What an individual knows about, what he cares about, or what he's calm about determines leadership, as all members have some talent, drive or experience that others value, or at times, defer to,' writes Kohanov. 'It takes significant self-esteem and discernment to conceive of others taking the lead without letting them dominate you.'

It sort of reminds me of the old adage, 'It takes a village...' Well, it takes a herd to make a success. The horses in the herd don't have a committee meeting to decide which horse should be 'project manager' in a given situation. They just naturally do it. So be mindful--if you are the right man for the job, step up. And if you're not, step back. That's pretty much the whole story. And it can be applied to all sorts of situations, not just work.

And now it's time to say bye-bye to the pretty horsies. What a lovely, wise and gentle deck.

May I be mindful of my place in the herd today.