Today is
Basils birthday. He’s our 4 year old German Shorthaired Pointer and effectively
our third child! This is a little tribute to him and an opportunity to share
some insights he's given me on learning & leading.
What’s a
GSP?
For those
of you who don’t know what a GSP (German Shorthaired Pointer) is, here’s a
brief explanation…
Originating
funnily enough from Germany, the GSP emerged from deliberate cross breeding
over 100 years ago. German estates found themselves shooting with kennels of
dogs for different purposes and wanted a single breed that could do everything,
principally Hunt Point & Retrieve (HPR). In particular they wanted a
faithful companion that would be as happy at home with the family as out in the
field shooting.
The GSP
was brought back to the UK both in WWI and WWII by returning servicemen and is
now the most popular HPR breed in the UK.
Versatile?
Basil is
versatile and bred for that purpose, that is to hunt, point & retrieve as
well as fit in with family life. He’s very intelligent (17th most intelligent breed apparently) and
can multi-task. Ok not quite in the way my wife thinks but fundamentally he can
do an awful lot.
Why write
about a versatile dog?
Apart
from the fact it’s Basils 4th birthday
and he is very much part of our family life, Basil has taught me loads and
continues to do so…
Fulfilling
your Purpose
Basil is
bred for a purpose, namely to Hunt, Point & Retrieve. When he fulfils this
purpose, using the abilities he was bred for, he comes alive and is fully
content. When he isn’t used for his purpose, regardless of the number of walks
he gets, he becomes bored and unruly.
Makes
sense really but think about this in the work context. If we’re doing what we
truly desire to do we come alive. If we don’t we probably become bored and
unruly.
What Am
I?
Basil is
our pet right? Yes, but we must see him as an animal first, a dog second and a
pet last. Often the problems owners have with their dogs is down to them the
wrong order of pet first, dog second, animal last. The result? Indulged & confused
dogs lacking the rules they need and unhappy and sometimes angry owners.
There’s
something here about the workplace too. The people we work with are humans
first but often organisations see the human last and the function first. Guess
what the result often is? People who are indulged or confused, and unhappy and
sometimes angry management.
You are
my leader
There’s
nothing stronger and more obvious than a dog looking to its owner for
leadership. You can see them asking for it in their eyes. The role is demanded
of you - undeniably. The only alternative is utter abandonment.
In the
workplace, such expectation may not be obvious in the eyes of your team, but I
think that if you look carefully enough you can see it. Nonetheless the role is
demanded of you - undeniably. The only alternative is utter abandonment.
Actions
speak louder than words
Training
a gundog you become used to using a whistle for commands. This helps the dog
hear you at a distance. Perhaps more importantly it takes all emotion out of
what could have been a spoken command.
Dogs are
attuned to your emotions and the hormones you produce. If you are stressed,
even if you try to control your voice, the dog knows. He may even stay away
from you. If you are calm and quiet, guess what? The dog pays even more
attention to you.
Beyond
voice, a dog will even read your body language – at the subtlest of levels.
Basil looks for this direction. If I pay attention to a piece of ground, at a
distance, he will notice this and go to cover that piece of ground. No voice or
whistle required. He’s doing what he is best at and I’m supporting him with
direction.
As humans we rely very heavily on
the processing of spoken language, yet we can’t escape from the fact that we
have intuitive ability to read peoples body language. In a leadership sense I think the
parallels are clear :
·
Your role is to support the team with
direction.
·
They are the specialists – let them do what
they are best at.
·
Your spoken word always conveys more about
you than just those words.
·
If you are calm and quiet, people will listen
to you more attentively.
·
In close proximity, at some level people
detect stress hormones such as cortisol.
Happy
Birthday Basil!
So on
Basils Birthday, I want to thank him for the lessons he teaches me and I hope
some of the above prompts thought about what we can learn from the people we
lead in the workplace. Happy Birthday friend!
If you’d
like to find out more about HPR breeds and the GSP then I can recommend the
following:
