Noah is a great kid. He has some trouble at school. He’s curious. He’s not always on the same page with his teachers. I exposed Noah to a service provided by Donna, a friend who uses horses to teach kids like Noah leadership.
Boiled down, the horses almost magically mirror the behavior of the child and the child sees that their actions cause a reaction. Many lessons are learned. It’s really powerful. Learn more about Morgen’s Meadows.
After a brief experience with the horse in which Noah saw what it was like to lead the horse, Donna asked Noah if he wanted to lead the horse. I was surprised by his answer. He said no.
I was surprised because as a leader I would have said, of course I want to be a leader. It’s difficult for us to understand that anyone wouldn’t. I had the blinders on I guess.
Noah didn’t want to lead in the traditional sense. He was pretty clear on this. Later however, another child entered the area and was clearly unsure of himself. We watched as naturally Noah took charge, explained the process to the new child and got him started. LEADERSHIP
I call Noah an Opportunity Leader. Noah doesn’t identify as a leader but when the opportunity arises he leads.
You are not there at crucial moments. Your designated leaders, managers, and supervisors are not there at crucial moments. To be successful you need opportunity leaders who are there at crucial moments to do the right thing.
When you have a problem with a product (a crucial moment), how much better is the experience when it’s handled seamlessly, on the spot, without having to get approval from ‘my supervisor’? These crucial moments happen all day long. How often are these crucial moments handled successfully in your organization? An important thing to know.
Opportunity leaders are the backbone to success. How do we enable them?
- It’s not easy to let go of the reigns (sorry I couldn’t help myself) and let someone else lead. Being open to what’s best for the organization dictates that we share the ownership of problems.
- Enabling opportunity leaders puts pressure on you as a leader, the opportunity leader, and traditional followers. Trust is required. You share leadership which requires earned trust.
- Enabling opportunity leadership is a conscious effort that is not trivial. It requires discipline. We’re not abdicating responsibility but rather expanding it across the organization.
Let’s talk more about this. Please share a comment.
By the way, when I asked Noah what he thought about his experience with the horses. He said, “It increased me.”
That’s what opportunity leadership is all about.
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