by Therese Johansson

When I walk up to my horse and look him in the eye, I don't say: I'm your boss, I bought you for 150,000. That doesn't define me as the leader of my horse. I get to start by building trust and confidence to develop a relationship and deserve to be his leader so that he chooses to follow me. The question is whether I am satisfied to hold a title as owner and rider or do I want to live up to the title? I am a rider but that does not make me an elite rider like Malin Baryard-Johnsson.

Manager or leader

I often come across quotes "I am the boss", he has attended a leadership training course or similar. "Very interesting": I think so, because it doesn't tell me much. What level are we talking about, what competence, are we finished when we have read a book, received a title and position? What responsibility do we have when we have taken on a manager / leadership role, what skills do we need to optimize the individual, the team and the business. Do you think it is expensive to invest in the so-called soft issues - I wonder if you can really afford not to invest in these issues? Even though I don't play in the same league as Malin Baryard-Johnsson, I take my responsibility as a horse owner and rider and hire competent trainers and other professionals. The goal is to advance and thus I develop our cooperation, interaction, communication, technology and strive to be as good as I can be, to earn my place as a leader. After all, I want him to remain performing in a sustainable way. I also strive for us to be inspired, work with desire, joy and have passion for the task in front of us, at the level we are at. A continuous development that is like a bottomless well and that is what makes it so exciting and fun.

Get investment back

I am very inspired by what we can learn from the world of sports in the business world, if we start with the individual, then sports practice positive mental training and focus on what the body needs and the importance of recovery. What would happen if we focused on optimizing these three areas, within our human capital in the companies, would the ROI (Return of Investment) increase? I follow elite riders' articles, blogs, social media and the message from all of them is that they are working on the groundwork. How many repetitions have they performed on the same exercises over the years to become elite athletes? If we transfer it when we develop our organizations; have we laid the foundation for the process and method, are we working with the tools in an optimal way, are we continuing to focus on the foundation work or are we moving on?

The team building

Not to mention the sport's competence in team development, focus on one's own position, how it should work together with other positions, how we support each other to achieve the best results - to take one for the team even if it means I get to sit on the bench or doing a boring task. Elite riders train continuously for coaches and tinker with every detail, all to achieve the best performance for selected sporting events. If we fall off, we get back up - redo, do it right! It's okay to make mistakes and not get it right right away, as long as we take responsibility and learn. It shows maturity to admit that I didn't fix a situation. It is brave and smart to take help from competent professionals.