Horseback Riding Or Riding On The Back Of A Horse

HORSEBACK RIDING OR RIDING ON THE BACK OF A HORSE

by Mike Manes

As a boy, more than anything else I wanted a horse. In my fantasy world, I’d be Roy Rogers on Trigger, a jockey aboard Man of War, or a pioneer driving a covered wagon on the Oregon Trail. I got my wish (watch what you pray for!). Suddenly my fantasy world collided with reality. My horse, Sham, was a beautiful animal. He was young, spirited, and impossible to ride.

His first evening at the farm foreshadowed his style and our relationship. He went through a corral to visit with an old blind mare that roamed free. We attempted to curb his spirit by limiting his manhood. Watching this procedure hurt me, but it didn’t calm Sham.

I thought that a horseback ride was the ideal way to spend an hour, an afternoon, or even a day pursuing adventures. This animal would take me places that I wanted to go — physically or imaginatively. The horse and my command of it would make me special.

The reality was far different. I never took Sham for a ride; he often took me on one. Every time I got on his back was an adventure. Although I was on the horse’s back, I never controlled the process, speed, or result. I held on for dear life.

I fulfilled my fantasies on his schedule, not mine. When he bucked me off, I saw myself as a rodeo star. When he’d fall and roll, I pretended that I was a cowboy whose horse was shot out from under him. If he ran out of control while pulling our buggy, I visualized robbers trying to catch us. When he attempted to scrape me off under a tree limb or the rafter of the barn, I imagined that the bad guy behind me had struck the obstacle that I’d just dodged.

Eventually we traded Sham for an older, slower, and less stately animal. At last, I owned a horse that I could ride. I could take the horse where I wanted to go — not the other way around.

When I reflect on my youth and Sham, I remember the difference between going for a horseback ride and holding on for dear life.

As I watch the leaders of organizations attempt to reinvent their companies for a changing world, I reflect on my youth. The majority of these leaders have no more control over their organizations than I did over Sham. They hold the reins of their companies. They have an organizational chart that illustrates their control. Unfortunately their 'reins' don’t control the animal they ride. More often than not, the organization takes them where it wants to go.

Most leaders realize that today’s world is different and that their organizations must adapt. Consumers are in charge. They’re sophisticated and can shop from unlimited sources. Consumers don’t care about organizations — they care about themselves and their needs. To survive and prosper, an organization must develop customer intimacy and deliver what customers want and need. It can’t maintain the status quo and expect to attract and retain new business. The company must change.

It wasn’t easy for me to trade Sham. I loved that horse. I wanted to train him and manage his spirit, speed, and strength. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. I finally had to get on a horse that would take me where I wanted to go.

As the demands of the marketplace continue to accelerate, organizational leaders will need to make similar decisions. They’ll need to train and motivate their employees or trade them for new members.

Leaders don’t have the luxury of 'holding on for dear life' while the organization runs out of control. They must build an organization that embraces change and the opportunities that change creates.

They must find the company’s destination and hold the reins as the organization gallops into the future. The challenges of competition and change are so great that the leader must focus totally on the marketplace and not waste time and energy worrying about their horse’s potential for sabotage. The question is how do leaders determine if they have the right organization?

You probably have a horse you can ride if:

• Your organizational chart includes customers.
• You know the demographics and psychographics of your customer base.
• Your employees think independently.
• The organization is based on trust.
• All employees feel heard.
• Your employees know, understand, and embrace your standards.
• Your organization’s values are shared.
• Everyone understands and is committed to the firm’s mission and vision.
• Most decision making occurs at the problem, not in a boardroom or meeting.
• Your employees recognize, respect, and respond to customer feedback.
• You encourage innovation.
• You acknowledge and reward performance.
• You celebrate new sales.
• You view the loss of a customer as a failure.
• You acknowledge risk taking as good, and a bad result as a learning experience.

You’re probably holding on for dear life if:

• Your organizational chart looks like a pyramid.
• Your employees are most comfortable when told what to do.
• You discourage risk taking, and must assign blame for bad results.
• You only define customers in general terms, not in specific niches.
• You view customers as an interruption of jobs, not the reason for them.
• You value titles, office space, and head count over results.
• In determining pay scales, you value attendance over performance.
• You evaluate every new idea as a task, not as an opportunity.
• You see attending meetings as your No. 1 priority.
• You use process as a weapon to kill change and defend the status quo.
• Your organization’s mantra is, 'The devil is in the details.'
• You ridicule marketing types as flakes, rather than value them as relationship managers.
• You seek market feedback by asking questions internally, rather than asking customers.
• Your team thinks there’s something wrong with a customer that leaves you.
• You discourage new sales because 'we’re already too busy.'

Enjoy the ride, but watch out for those tree limbs!