Feature

Paul Jan Zdunek, left, and Dustin Davis wrote “Cowboys & Conductors.” They will discuss the book as part of LitFest Pasadena on Saturday, May 14.

New book shares ‘humanship’ perspective

By Laura Latzko Pasadena Weekly Contributing Writer

People and horses need to be treated with respect.

This idea is stressed in “Cowboys & Conductors: Conversations on Horseman-Humanship,” a book by Dustin Davis and Paul Jan Zdunek.

The two will discuss their book and sell and sign copies of it as part of LitFest Pasadena on Saturday, May 14, at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

During LitFest Pasadena, authors, poets, publishers and political leaders engage audiences in conversations about literature and larger societal topics.

In “Cowboys & Conductors,” Zdunek and Davis share lessons they have learned from throughout their careers. A Glendale resident, Zdunek is the former conductor of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops. Now he is a change management professional and certified exit planning adviser for dysfunctional organizations.

During Zdunek’s tenure with the symphony, he helped it recover from nearly closing after 80 years.

Davis is a cowboy, instructor, auctioneer and clinician who was born and raised in Colorado. Now residing on a ranch in Chino Hills with his family, he owns and operates a horsemanship barn and travels around the country teaching horsemanship clinics to young people.

The two men met when Davis enlisted Zdunek’s help to set up his ranch as a professional business.

Zdunek said that the two quickly discovered they have a similar approach — personally and professionally. He quickly learned that Davis’ horse-whispering techniques mirror the way Zdunek treats his clients.

“You don’t drag them kicking and screaming,” Zdunek said.

“You’ve got to figure out what they need, where they are, where they need to go, and take them by the hand and move them along.”

Released in March, “Cowboys & Conductors” shares their conversations about leadership. The book also outlines “Grey Leadership,” a style the two developed based on their outlooks and approaches to being good leaders.

Readers are given challenges that they can complete in their work or personal lives. For example, they are asked to take an abstract piece of art into a staff meeting as a discussion point.

“It gets them not only saying, ‘This is what I see or what I think it is,’ but it defends their position as to why they think that object is what it is,” Zdunek said.

“There’s no right or wrong answer, but it gets people thinking in a creative and curious way. That also teaches everybody that life is not black and white. There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s what you make of it and bring to it and what your experience is.”

The ideas outlined in “Cowboys & Conductors” can be used in personal or professional lives, as individuals need to adapt to change.

“You don’t have to be a leader,” he said.

“You don’t have to be in business. You just have to be a human being. It really focuses on the ‘humanship’ of our lives and how to connect with each other better in each of these areas. Whether you work with horses or people or just want better relationships with your friends or family, then this is a book for you.”

Zdunek said too many people give themselves memberships. For example, he said, “I’m a certain religion, so this is what I believe. Or I’m a certain political affiliation, so that’s what I believe. We use those almost as defense systems, so we don’t have to think about the gray. We don’t have to think about the nuance.

“Being a great leader is allowing yourself to luxuriate in the gray, enjoy it and figure out what shapes come from that. Even how we identify is complicated. Gray is really about allowing all of that to exist in the same space.”

Zdunek said strong leaders need to have strong foundations and be curious, creative and committed.

A gray leader also needs to be open to working with people with different points of view and making the effort to get to know them on a deeper human level.

“‘Grey Leadership’ is really about understanding every single person who is in front of you,” Zdunek said.

“Not saying they are this or they are that and this is how they are probably going to be or what they think. Everyone is different.”

Neither Zdunek nor Davis had written a book, but they are fans of self-help and leadership books. “Cowboys & Conductors” shares each of their voices.

“We were thinking about unifying it, but it’s better in its raw form so that you can hear the personalities in the page,” Zdunek said.

“Cowboys & Conductors” crosses the genres of self-help and leadership, as well as biography. Zdunek said he and Davis explore complex topics but present it so it’s easy to understand.

“We wanted to make it really simple so it’s of interest to CEOs as well as young children trying to figure out how to work with each other on the playground,” Zdunek said.

The two authors are developing an immersive ranch experience for team-building experiences like learning to care for horses. They will also develop their leadership skills using “Grey Leadership.”

Dustin Davis and Paul Jan Zdunek

WHEN: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14 WHERE: LitFest Pasadena at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena COST: Free INFO: cowboysandconductors.com