The Horse and the Canine

On the surface, it would appear the horse and the dog in the picture above have little in common.

The horse has a brown mane, the canine black. The horse weighs hundreds of pounds more. He’s on his hooves, the German shepherd is resting comfortably.

The image taken by the Vancouver Police Department’s Mounted Unit is in many ways a perfect snapshot into our leadership worlds.

Day in and day out, we interact with teammates whom we seemingly have little in common with. Our appearances are different, our backgrounds can be polar opposites, our work styles are frequently not aligned.

Yet, we’re forced to set all of this aside to achieve a collective mission.

Jedi, the horse, could be standoffish and choose to ignore Solo, his canine companion. Solo could be rambunctious and run circles around Jedi. They could both be uncontrollable and drive their handlers insane.

But in this picture, Jedi takes a measured approach, leaning over to reach Solo’s level, while Solo lies peacefully on the ground, entirely receptive to his larger companion.

Each day, we’re either Jedi or we’re Solo. We’re either the protagonist or the receptor to someone we may not obviously connect with. We can be cold and confrontational, or open minded and easy going. We can refuse to engage or be willing to embrace what others may offer.

Regardless of the differences we have with our team members, we must find ways to connect and ultimately complete whatever challenge we’re presented.

We can’t be standoffish just because we have more experience. We can’t be confrontational just because of our title. We can’t be cold just because we may have some different philosophies and viewpoints.

If you’re struggling to connect with a teammate today or have some key concerns about whether your styles actually mesh, take an extra look at this image and give the partnership a little more effort.

Jedi’s and Solo’s many differences are outweighed by their shared goal of public safety.

It’s a lesson we could all benefit from.