Eight Favorite Casual Sweaters

profile

To help leaders supercharge their performance, executive coach Leslie Ungar relies on expertise and STRONG HORSE SENSE

“If you can get a horse to trust and follow you,” Leslie Ungar says, “you can do the same with people.” Several times each year, the Akron-based executive coach brings together CEOs, senior staff and professionals from both the corporate and non-profit worlds for her popular oneday Horsetalk: Lessons in Leadership workshop.

Having shown champion Arabians for 25 years, Ungar is as comfortable and dynamic in the pasture of a bucolic farm as she is in the board room. She is recognized as a strategist, communication coach and keynote speaker for executives and their teams, as well as a writer and TV host. But she says Horsetalk was her “aha moment,” and Ungar’s excitement for this admittedly unusual method of coaching is boundless.

At Horsetalk, participants discover that behavior in the pasture often mirrors behavior in real life. Horses provide immediate feedback and insight, so participants learn more quickly and move faster in their development process.

Ungar likes to think of the workshop as a day of “educational escapism” with exercises that strengthen strategic thinking, hone the use of nonverbal, vocal and visual communication, build trust and consensus—all in a relaxing, fun and safe environment. All the leadership activities happen with your feet firmly on the ground; in fact, no riding is involved.

“A horse is an honest mirror to yourself—the animal doesn’t care what degrees you hold and is definitely not impressed by your job title,” she says. “It will follow you only if it identifies you as a leader.” As it turns out, horses are genetically programmed to look for leadership, and for centuries their survival depended on their ability to quickly identify and follow the right leader for their herd.

“Animals sense uncertainty. A horse won’t follow a tentative person—and neither will your team or company. Always communicate confidence!” Ungar advises. Visit electricimpulse.com to learn more about Leslie Ungar’s programs.