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LEADERS and FOLLOWERS
A Leader - one who has authority, who influences, and leads others.
A Follower - one who adheres to the opinions, ideas and/or teachings of another.
As you look at this picture of my horses,
can you determine the order of the hierarchy starting with the one in charge, in other words,
the leader? It might surprise you to know that Samson (far left) is the youngest, but he is the unquestionable leader of this 3-horse herd.
Next in line is my miniature horse, Lil' Bit
(far right). And finally, my oldest horse,
Montana (in the middle) is a born follower,
and completely comfortable in his skin.
Will The Real Leader Please Stand Up?
I love watching my horses interact out in the pasture. From the time they were first introduced to one another, their horsenalities came to the fore-front, and the innate need for a leader surfaced immediately. My quarter horse, Montana, has always been a follower. Perhaps that's because he's seen the leader's job and doesn't want the trouble and stress! Whatever the case, since our earliest days together, he has always found his comfort zone in being led. He has no self-identity problems, and knows where he functions best. Completely comfortable in his skin, Montana will follow wherever you lead, and he's always a happy camper.
Samson, on the other hand, is a born-leader within the herd. Unlike Montana, he was born to lead. He can't help himself. Although it's a big job with lots of responsibility, it comes natural for him. I've noticed that Samson never rules with an iron fist, or should I say iron hoof! He is both a gentle giant with his herd, and an effective leader at once. Yet, when he is with me, he is able to submit to a higher authority with no argument or rebellion. He has the innate ability to know when to lead, and when to follow.
It's been my experience that dominate or
lead horses who wield leadership and authority within the herd tend to better understand and submit to human leadership and authority, although the process might
take longer initially. Lead horses and green riders are never a match. But a lead horse and a human who is a born leader is often a match made in heaven.
Once I step into the picture, all the herd
dynamics change with my horses. I'm a pretty tough old broad, but I'm no physical match for
thousands of pounds of horse flesh and
hooves. I've made clear to them that I am their undisputable leader, and it's not up for
a vote. I'm able to do that, not because of my
size or brute strength, but because I am the
one who holds the real authority. And I've
proven that to them with consistent
leadership that never waivers
or fails.
We Are Not All Born To Lead,
But We Are All Born To
Follow Christ.
Let's face it, almost everyone thinks they are leaders. Self-help gurus have made millions, and books and slick marketing campaigns have convinced a lot of people that they are all leaders, when in fact, most are not. The truth is, not everyone is born to be a leader. Yes, everyone (well, almost everyone) can develop some leadership skills in various areas, but skill sets don't make a leader anymore than having a hammer and knowing how to drive a nail into a piece of wood makes you a carpenter.
I am a horse clinic enthusiast. I attend clinics, have my favorite clinicians which I follow religiously, and recommend them highly. But consider this. Many an enthusiastic horse owner has paid out the nose to purchase sticks and strings and attend horse clinics to learn how to handle their tools and their horses just like the pros, only to come home and have a disrespectful horse remind them that they are not the leader, afterall! That's a tough and an expensive lesson to learn. Ouch!
One clinician was absolutely right when he said that a horse knows what you don't know before you know that you don't know it! Think about that. Some people are simply not born to be leaders, and they never will be, for horses, or for people. But they can be excellent and wonderful followers if that is what they were created to be. Being a follower and knowing who you are is not less. It's much more. As they like to say in the horse clinic world, "Does that make sense?"
Want to know if you're a leader? Take a look around, and see if anyone is following you, pursuing you, imitating you. Chances are, if they are not, then you're not a leader. Leaders have followers.
With horses, leaders and followers are identified quickly in the herd. It rarely has anything to do with size, color, or even who's smartest (or think they're the smartest). For horses, leadership is innate. I believe a horse is born a leader or a follower. Yes, the hierarchy can sometimes quickly change when a horse is subjected to different horsenalities within different herds. But for the most part, the horsenality of leader or follower is constant within the horse.
When it comes to being a leader, size has
little to do with it. As they say down south
where I come from,
"You either is, or you isn't."
Horses have what is commonly referred to as horsenalities. Humans, on the other hand, have personalities. Just like with horses, our personality might become more dominant and leader-like when around certain kinds of people, and more submissive and yielding when around others. But whether it is within horse herds or people groups, - if it's there, leadership qualities tend to emerge at some point. Why? It's simple.
Leaders have to lead!
In horse herds, mares are often the leaders.
"What part of 'I'm the leader here'
don't you get?"
"Yeah, but you're a mare."
"Yeah, well, deal with it, stud-muffin!"
Leadership is about authority -
God-given authority.
In the horse world, if a horse is born with any grandiose ideas or is posturing as a leader, the herd will quickly assign him his correct place. And there will be no question left as to
who he really is. In the human world, it sometimes takes a bit longer to detect an imposter.
Let's go a bit deeper. Leadership is not about who has the most talent, charm, charisma, or even gender. And it's not about who has the gift of gab. If you don't believe that, then just ask stuttering Moses!
I think I'm safe in saying that horses have a better grasp on sorting out leaders from the wanna-be's than we humans. Maybe that's because horses know that their life could depend on making the correct assessment. For us mere mortals, we're more willing to gamble with our life. And so we often unwittingly assign leadership roles to people who are not qualified, and were never meant to fill those shoes. In fact, they are masqueraders, and not leaders at all.
Many are called to follow.
Few are called to lead.
We are not all called to be leaders. The problem comes when a person is really a follower, but is occupying the position of leader! Why? Because those who masquerade as leaders have neither the gift, nor the stomach for the job. It takes a genuine anointing and a unique call of God on your life to be a real leader. And it also takes guts, - lots of guts!
"Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."
(1 Peter 5: 3)
Horses are born with a survivalist intuition
that causes them to seek and recognize a leader immediately. Their life can depend on
them making the right assessment of one
another, and doing it quickly. Although I had
to learn specific equine leadership skills in
order to know how to interact with my horses,
being a leader is a part of who God made me
to be. No matter what I am doing, that
leadership anointing always seems to surface.
On the outside looking in, that might seem pretty cool, but I don't take it lightly. Leadership has proven to be a very heavy responsibility at times, because it always demands that I be an example to others. It's kind of like working with horses. It will sure nuf' keep you humble!
"And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
(Matthew 28: 18)
The Bible says that all power has been given to Jesus in heaven and in earth. For those of us who love the Lord, that's good news! Why? Because we actually have a leader - Jesus.
And he has all power!
I know it's popular to teach everyone that they are all born to lead. I don't believe that's true, lest the Bible wasted a lot of time talking about the multitude of sheep! Furthermore, if we were all leaders, then it wouldn't have mattered if Moses was the one to lead the people out of Egypt, or not. Shoot, just draw straws for the job, right? And what about King David? Surely one of his older and stronger brothers could have slayed the giant Goliath. But they didn't. Why? Because David was the one who was born and anointed to be the leader, - their leader. And ultimately, he became their King.
Finally, have you ever tried to walk in another person's shoes? If you have, then you probably discovered it wasn't a very good fit, and you were uncomfortable, if not down-right miserable. Your toes were probably crunched, or the shoes were too big, or you may have gotten some serious blisters. Why? Because those shoes weren't made for you. Those shoes didn't belong to you. They weren't created for you. You were walking in someone elses shoes. You were masquerading.
You have your own shoes to fill. You are a unique individual, created with purpose, and loved by God. You and I are not cookie-cutter "one size fits all" people. And nope, we're not all born to lead, but we're all born to follow - follow Jesus Christ.
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