Leadership Keys and Development for Success – Which Horse Are You?

I have been an avid  student of Leadership Keys and Development for many years.   In fact, I began practicing the things I learned through leadership classes, seminars, workshops, books, and mentoring even before I had the privilege of assuming the official role of “leader”.  I believe it was the practice of these leadership keys and my commitment to develop my skills that led to promotion after promotion after promotion in my professional career.

The Power of Observation and The Result of Action

One major component of being a leader is adapting the discipline of OBSERVATION, not observing with a mind that simply records the activities surrounding you, but observing the heartbeat of the room, the life force of the culture you are in, and the actions as well as interactions of those around you.  Observation, in fact, became my cornerstone strategic weapon while navigating the unpredictable waters of the corporate/governmental cultures.  And not to brag or anything, but I was good at it – very good, I became one of the key leadership trainers in my organization and developed an entire program focused on identifying future leaders and mentoring them to success.

My core motto for leadership development was – Observe, Learn, Plan, Act, Become.

Notice the word “Act” in that motto.  See, ACTION is another major leadership key.  Most people stop there.   For whatever reason they simply can’t get past the action piece so that they can “become” the leaders that make the strongest impact.  Now some of them still move into leadership positions, but their effectiveness is negatively impacted due to their inattention to action.

As unfortunate as it is, so many leaders – real leaders, not “show ponies” (I’ll talk more about that later) are lost due to inaction.

I have been observing certain elements of the world around me for several months now, and I have been hearing a message deep within, one that at first seemed harsh, and honestly created resistance in me.  As time progressed, however, my observation led to learning, then acceptance set in and action followed.    That observation is this:  there are really two types of people filling leadership roles; there are work horses and there are show ponies.

While most of those reading will immediately “get” what I mean by that, there may be others that would benefit from further explanation.  So for the sake of being clear, allow me to briefly explain the difference.

The Work Horse Leader

A work horse is a servant leader who gets the job done, someone that can be counted on to take care of business come hell or high water.  A work horse is reliable, dependable, loyal, and hard working, they have skills others do not possess and they know how to leverage them towards efficient and effective outcomes.   Eventhough, an organization can not survive without work horses in key leadership roles, they are often the least public with their leadership and therefore get little to no acknowledgment, recognition, or accolades for what they do.  See, a work horse will do whatever it takes to make sure things are taken care of, and often no one knows the work horse did it, they just know it got done.   These are impressive leaders full of strong character and solid ethics. The unfortunate thing about a work horse, is that they are usually kept in the “back of the barn”, meaning they are left to care for themselves because everyone knows (or thinks) they are capable and self-sufficient.  Therefore, if they don’t monitor themselves, they will work to the point of exhaustion or collapse.  Even though you will rarely hear them complain about it, a work horse needs and desires affirmation, appreciation, care, and acknowledgement just like every one else.

The Show Pony Leader   

A show pony is a leader in position and name, but does little of the work required to lead.  They are pretty and prance around in a practiced formation to impress their audience.  They are the individuals who frequently show up late, after most of the work is done, hang around long enough to enjoy the show, then quickly vacate when its time to work again.  They rely heavily on other people to do the work for them, but take delight in parading themselves and exaggerating their contributions to their superiors or people of affluence.  They are generally self promoters with strong  people skills and they shamelessly use those skills to advance their agenda and “win the prize” at the “pony show”.  Show ponies work for an audience, they are public leaders,  but lack the discipline or skill to get things done when no one is watching.  They are usually well liked, praised by many, and lavished with attention from the crowd.   The unfortunate thing about show ponies is that  they are dependent on others to get things done and are generally not capable of effective innovation.  Therefore a leader operating in the “show pony” model requires the assistance of people around them who will step up and assume the role of “caretaker” so they can continue to look good and entertain well.

So…which horse are you?

In the interest of our “Today I Learned” model – I guess I would say: 

“Today I learned there are work horses and there are show ponies.  Sometimes we choose which one we will to be, sometimes it is chosen for us.  Either way, every horse has their role to play and every horse deserves respect and honor for their contributions.”

“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)

“Work hard and become a leader;  be lazy and become a slave.”  Proverbs 12:24 (NLT)

Your Servant Leader,

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