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We can learn a lot from horses; I sure did. Before my wife got me
interested in them, I couldn’t even spell hoarse (!); now I am learning from
them while learning about them.
Today’s lesson was learned when Kelly, our mare, found her way into
the breezeway of the barn. The breezeway is the area where we humans walk
when we feed or visit the horses, and also serves as a storage area for
horse-related supplies. It runs alongside the two stalls, which are on the
left as you walk in. (We get into the stalls from the breezeway, the
horses enter and exit through doorways on the opposite side.) The
breezeway is full of horsey temptations and dangers, including bags of
food, treats, and medications that, if ingested in large quantities could
make them seriously ill: think of it as a candy store for horses. A very
narrow candy store for horses.
Kelly got in there when I carelessly left a gate open that should have
been closed. There she was, sniffing away and looking for goodies in a
fairly confined space, considering she weighs in at about 1100 pounds.
Uh-oh! She can’t be in there! She could get sick or hurt! What should
I do?!? I remembered being told once that when a horse is in a dangerous
situation, you must remain calm. After all, what do you think she would
have done had I run in there yelling at her? She would have bolted,
perhaps further into the breezeway, perhaps towards me trying to get out.
Getting run over by an upset horse is not my idea of a good time. Who
knows what she would have bumped into, broken, stepped on, or??? Causing
her to panic could have easily caused 10 times more damage than I was
trying to prevent.
So, I stopped to think. I made sure she had a clear route to where I
wanted her to go. And then I walked in there and said in a firm, but quiet
and somewhat disgusted voice, "Kelly! You know you’re not supposed
to be in here!" She slowly looked up at me, turned around, and
casually walked out with a look that said, "Gee, dad, you’re no
fun!" She went where I wanted her to go, I closed the gate behind
her, and that was that.
It occurred to me that this was a great lesson for our businesses.
Things happen all the time that could have very bad consequences for us.
New competition, new laws that adversely affect us, loss of an important
client, significant world events such as September 11… the list goes on
and on. How do we react? If we react emotionally, we could make the
problem worse.
Your gut reaction may be to yell at an important customer that’s
giving you a hard time. Stop. Call them back later.
Cash flow not what you need it to be? Don’t panic. Think it through.
Does your local government suddenly want to slap license fees on home
businesses? Be calm. Discuss it with one of your peers.
My point is this: if a horse gets into the breezeway of your business,
remain calm and carefully consider your options before reacting. The
business you save may be your own.
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