Leadership skills developed through horse experiences and their usefulness for business leaders

Sammanfattning: Recent research suggests that experiences with horses may help individuals to develop leadership skills. It is argued that leadership skills are developed through the interactions and relationships with the horses, and also in the social context of the stable environment. This research has been reported in the general media, leading to statements claiming that individuals with equestrian backgrounds have strong leadership skills and that the business leaders of the future will come from equestrian backgrounds. However, to date there has been little research on how useful the specific leadership skills that are developed through horse experiences actually are in business settings. The aim in this thesis is therefore to get a better understanding of how the leadership skills that are developed through horse experiences are actually perceived to be useful in business settings. To address this aim, interviews with five business leaders have been conducted to gather accounts of how their horse experiences have helped them in their business careers. The theoretical frame of reference is largely based on Goleman’s (2000) emotional intelligence framework, which includes the four capabilities of self-management, self-awareness, social awareness and social skills. This basic framework is supplemented with other leadership skills identified in the literature as being important in successful business leadership. The analysis of the interview data shows that confidence, assertiveness, communication skills, emotional control and power-of-action are particular leadership skills that the interviewed business leaders believe they developed through their horse experiences and have found useful in their business careers. These findings lead to the conclusion that the development of these leadership skills are not only useful in work with horses and in equestrian environments, but that once developed, these leadership skills can also be of use in subsequent business careers. The interviews provide evidence showing that the confidence developed through equestrian experiences is useful in business settings as it makes leaders more willing to face problems and take on new challenges. Similarly, the interviews revealed that the assertiveness learned through handling horses is useful in business leader roles in getting co-workers to accept the leadership. Furthermore, the clear and straightforward way of communicating that is crucial to develop in the stable is an essential skill for business leaders since it is useful in directing co-workers in a clear way and keep them motivated. The interviewed leaders also described how work with horses was highly valued during their business careers, as it was a way for the leaders to de-stress and maintain emotional control. Lastly, the interviewed leaders reported that the power-of-action fostered through their equestrian backgrounds has helped them to be driven and take a head-on approach to problems in their business careers. At the same time, in some of the interviews the leaders question whether it was their equestrian experience that had led to the development of some of the discussed leadership skills, or if the development of these skill should be attributed to somewhere else, such as their upbringing or certain personality traits. Relatedly, there may be a selection bias in those who take interest in working with horses: It may be that horses attract certain types of people – such as individuals with high leadership potential – who are apt to develop leadership skills regardless of the activities they engage in. More research will be needed to clarify these uncertainties.