Leslie Dickson teaches communications skills to executives every day. But it took a horse for her to understand a valuable lesson about her own communication style.

For a change of pace and scenery, the president and CEO of VoicePro in Cleveland Heights took her staff to a Leadership Equine Assisted Development workshop on a 40-acre Mantua farm.

That’s where Sue Thomas, armed with a love of horses and a background in human resources and organization development, provides leadership coaching for business teams and individuals. Workshops range from a few hours to two days, during which no horse riding takes place.

During the VoicePro event, each employee had to stand in the ring and get the horse to follow without ever touching it. Dickson tried shouting, and the horse didn’t budge. Only when she changed strategy and silently focused on the horse as she walked around the pen did it follow.

“The big boisterous, loud approach doesn’t fit me,” Dickson recalls. “But the horse knew that my heart wasn’t behind it, so he didn’t listen.”

Thomas admits that it’s tough for some people to understand how working with horses translates to the workplace. “Everything that we do with the horses is around awareness and emotional intelligence: reading people, communicating,” Thomas explains. “One of the big things that we work with is communicating clearly and consistently, sending the same message, because people’s messages are more than words. Most of it is body language, and horses understand body language.”

Dickson says the experience changed her. “You can be going through your career and think that you’re doing everything you need to be doing, but you’re still not getting results, ... and you can’t quite figure out why,” Dickson says. “Sue’s work with the horses helps you figure out how what you’re doing is impacting the results you’re getting. It’s so empowering because you leave there knowing what you can do differently that will make a difference.”

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