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How to Be a Better Leader: Lessons from a Puppy

Guest post by: Nate Silverman

Article Overview: Learning about puppy training has taught us more about leadership and how to be a better leader. Here are but a few lessons. Leaders lead by example and earn true loyalty. You can influence behaviors through proper rewards, sometimes you can inadvertently create unwanted behaviors. Give constructive feedback, not criticism. Help your employees learn how to do things properly. Every leader needs good followers. Understand what your team needs to do their job and train the next crop of leaders to be successful.

How to Be a Better Leader: Lessons from a Puppy

We recently adopted a new puppy. A beautiful golden retriever. Pure joy. But, also a lot of work. So, we've read every book, watched every video and studied everything we could to learn how to train her to be the perfect dog. What has been most interesting is how learning about dog psychology has taught us more about leadership and how to be a better leader. Here are but a few lessons:

1. Take Me to Your Leader

The alpa dog (leader of the pack) ALWAYS goes first. He eats first, while the other dogs, no matter how hungry they are, wait for him to finish. You've seen this on nature shows too. The lion always eats the kill first, then the others in his pride, then the scavengers and vultures. The alpha dog also literally leads the pack. The others follow him wherever he goes. From a pet owner perspective this means you can train the dog to not run out the door before you.

In business, the owner should be the alpha dog. As the owner, do you pay yourself first or last? Do you set the proper example you want others to lead? Are your employees loyal to you?

2. Good Job!

Rewards lead to behavior. We think behavior leads to rewards, but that's wrong. Humans often train the dogs incorrectly, without realizing it. Dogs are somewhat simple (at least in comparison to humans). An example: If your dog barks any time someone comes to the door or even approaches, what do you do? Many people will give the dog love and reassure them with a calm, loving voice, "It's ok little doggie. I love you. You're a good little doggie." That's a lot like the reaction they get when they sit or do a trick: praise and love. So, you are, in effect, teaching them to go crazy around strangers. Later on, owners wonder why their dog bites people and how to stop them from biting. Another "reaction causes action" example: Imagine you are trying to teach the dog to "come" and she doesn't come. You say it again. No response. You say it again. And again. You get frustrated. Then you yell, "COME!" The dog finally comes. Instead of praising her, you are so upset it took so long, you reprimand her for not coming the first time. What you just did it taught her, "Don't go to him. Every time I do, he gets mad!" Or, another common scenario: when the dog doesn't come, many people will go to the dog. Great, now "come" means "Oh, I should wait here. My human is going to come to me."

In an office setting, this happens all the time. We stress, "You get what you measure," which is true, but you also "get what you reward" and "don't get what you punish." One common example: "Thanks for working hard all week to complete that difficult project, John. Now, do this one that's even harder. It's due tomorrow." You might think that is showing him encouragement. Giving him increasing responsibility. You may also think it is smart to give the toughest assignments to your best employees. But, what are the employees actually learning? Work begets work. This is actually called positive punishment. It is the quickest path to burn out. You need to look at your actual incentive system - not just the one written down in your employee handbook. The old line about "Beatings will continue until morale improves" is indicative of many company's approaches to performance and motivation.

3. What Now?

Feedback needs to be both positive and negative. Is the dog biting you? Say "No Bite!" As soon as they stop, say, "Good ‘no bite'!" Over time, you learn to correct or reward at the first signs of the behavior (i.e. when the dog begins to snarl, not when she bites down) and can prevent the unwanted behavior before it starts. Likewise, the dog will learn that she can get rewarded for simply being good. The reward becomes a more powerful motivation than the fear of punishment. It's almost like driving a car on the freeway instead of on the street (you use minor corrections instead of full turns).

As managers, we often forget to give the second form of feedback. As a result, employees hear little except for "No. No. No." We need to make sure employees know HOW to do it correctly, not just punish or criticize them for doing it wrong. We also need to make sure we show confidence in them and help them build confidence in themselves.

4. Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way

The alpha dog leads, the others follow. Makes sense, right? For dogs, all the "pressure" is on the leader. The rest of the pack has a relatively easy life. No responsibilities. Little stress. This is why establishing dominance over your pet - correctly - is actually much more "humane" than letting them take charge. When they think they are the leader, they get stressed out.

Does this mean your employees should not be stressed? Should your goal be to take on all the burden so your hundreds of employees can just chill and ride your coattails? Of course not. It does mean you should help everyone understand their place. How? First, a clear organization chart so people know their literal place in the company. Second, make sure employees are properly trained. Puppies should not be alpha dogs; the leader is more mature and has learned from observing others. Thirdly, understand each individual's natural instincts. Some people are born leaders. Others' personalities are better suited for clear direction. Think of the DISC psychological model.

To fully train a puppy can take several weeks. Humans are a little more complex. So, be patient as you train yourself and your employees.

I'll continue to add more lessons as our puppy trains me more.

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Article Tags: better leader, constructive feedback, leadership, management, morale, motivation, ownership, puppy training, training, true loyalty, unwanted behaviors



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