Most of us had never been around horses before so when they told us that we would be doing obstacles with no lead we were a bit nervous. Dave, our group leader gave us some more pointers for the activities and we carried on.
As a team we figured out how to maneuver the horse around the obstacles we learned a lot about each other and a lot about ourselves.
This workshop taught me about what frustrates me in a group setting as well as how I can handle that frustration. I was very irritated when people were not listening to each other, not following instructions, and especially when they talked over each other. At first I tried the big-sister method and talked louder than everyone. After a minute I realized it was a bad plan and took a metaphorical step back and observed what was happening. We were all just confused as to what we needed to be doing. I understood then how very important clear instructions are in a group setting.
I learned that my leadership style is to observe the situation and asses it before intervening. Although I sometimes want to jump right in and fix things, I learned the importance of figuring out what the true problem is before trying to fix it.
At this equine leadership workshop I learned a lot more than I was expecting to learn about myself, my management style, and how to work in a team.
