What Dogs Teach You About Leadership
Do you have a dog? Two? More? Are you dogless and get your dog love from friends’ dogs? Or maybe you’re someone who just doesn’t see the appeal of dogs?
If you love dogs, you’ll probably love this article. If not, read on anyway because there’s probably something here for you despite your distaste for this nearly-perfect being. (Oops…my bias is showing!)
In the early part of the 20th century, Will Judy, the editor of Dog World Magazine, who was a WW1 veteran and an ordained minister, devoted his life to helping people understand what he saw as a spiritual bond between humans and dogs. Of dogs, Will Judy wrote, “The most loyal thing in the world is your dog. Whether you come home from Congress or from jail, whether you have lost your fortune or made a million, whether you return home dressed in fashion’s heights or in rags, whether you have been hailed as a hero or condemned as a criminal, your dog is waiting for you with a welcome bark of delight, a wagging tail and a heart that knows no guile.”
I’ve had dogs nearly all my life. As a child, we had mixed breed dogs, or as humorist and author Dave Barry called them, “AKC dogs – all kinds combined”. As I was moving into adulthood, starting a career and life under my own roof, Mom convinced Dad that a Pomeranian was the dog they needed, while at the same time, I began a lifelong love of Siberian Huskies. Whether purebred or not, dogs teach us a lot of important life lessons.
I believe that people who have great relationships with pets have more capacity for great relationships with people. This is from empirical data I’ve gathered throughout life, as well as neuroplasticity studies I’ve read to inform my work with leaders and their teams. Dogs provide an outlet for strong emotions, a non-judgmental ear, and a fabulous example of living in the moment. If you lead a team, you can learn a lot from dogs, and here are three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast to help:
Need to talk to yourself like you talk to your dog? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Are your team members in the right roles? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Want to learn to be more like your dog? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
If you have a dog or dogs, think about the people you know because of your dog. Think about the things you wouldn’t know if not for your dog. Think about how your life, knowledge, and heart have expanded because of your dog. If you lead a team, go through the same thought process as it relates to your team. Then take a few minutes today and consider Will Judy’s thoughts about the loyalty of a dog – how do you measure up to that high bar? Can you? Will you?
“The most loyal thing in the world is your dog. Whether you come home from Congress or from jail, whether you have lost your fortune or made a million, whether you return home dressed in fashion’s heights or in rags, whether you have been hailed as a hero or condemned as a criminal, your dog is waiting for you with a welcome bark of delight, a wagging tail and a heart that knows no guile.”
PS...know someone who needs a speaker for a conference, meeting, or retreat? Please recommend me to them, and thank you in advance!
