As a manager, one might imagine being a rider atop a horse. You cannot expect to force the horse to win by constantly pulling the reins, neither can you expect to win the race consistently by pushing the horse beyond its capability. The rider needs to influence its performance to win the race; after all, the horse is much stronger than the rider. “Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one’s horse as he is leaping,” state Julius and Augustus Hare in Guesses at Truth (Macmillan, 1882).

How does this apply to our organizations? We can think of the horse as our workforce and the potential it has to produce extraordinary results. We often find ourselves frustrated as we push people to produce results, trying to stay on top of daily issues, controlling, directing, complying, and making deliveries. Other times we provide incentives to achieve more and then pull in the reins just as the workforce is ready with new ideas.

Organizations have realized that to achieve extraordinary results their employees must show initiative, collaboration, enthusiasm, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. They, therefore, increasingly provide training in various tools and techniques as they find ways to achieve more and succeed (or survive) in today’s competitive world.

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