Wager's Way Staff

Wager's Way Staff

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Business -- still a human enterprise

Recently I was reading information about a Master’s in Business Psychology (MBP)program and was struck by the following statement: "Business is still a human enterprise.”  Think about that.  In our current technology addicted world, business is still run by, marketed to, and dependent on consumers who are human.  Although companies use technology to accomplish many tasks, people are the ones inputting and processing the information that affects finance, marketing, management and operations of the organization.  Successful businesses still need to have team members who have good “people skills.”  And yet ironically, it seems that these skills are getting less and less focus in professional development.

Unlike a traditional MBA, the MBP program incorporates the philosophy that managers and leaders need to not only understand business (finance, marketing, economics, etc…) but also how people think, interact and behave.  As a leadership and team development facilitator, I see the importance of interpersonal and relational skills in creating organizational success.  The business of quantitative decision making is also the business of understanding psychology and how the brain works.
There is now a great amount of neuroscience research about how the brain works and how that needs to be incorporated in to leadership development programs.  In a research review titled “Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Leadership” (D.A. Waldman et. al., 2011) the authors state
…by understanding the neurological bases for transformational leadership behavior, we may be better positioned to develop such leaders in a more realistic and systematic manner. Thus, instead of simply putting people through a one-size fits all leadership development program, the brain may give us some insight as to how and why specific individuals in leadership roles feel, think, and ultimately learn new behaviors. With this knowledge, leadership development activities could be better customized to fit the unique neurological structure of an individual leader.  

Studies are showing there’s an increased demand for individuals who understand how human behavior factors into a strategic advantage for an organization.  As a leader or manager, what can you do to improve your “people skills?”  There are any number of books and seminars addressing this component of being a better leader or manager.  But I would propose that you go a step further and find an experiential action learning program that creates the opportunity for you to put theory into practice through training that can complement the books you have read and seminars you have attended.  Books can describe how to work with different types of people and what to notice about your own behaviors.  And seminars can provide some role playing activities that try to simulate situations that leaders and managers may encounter.  But in order to truly become self-aware and recognize how you are influencing those around you under a variety of circumstances, you need to have the opportunity to interact in activities that promote immediate non-judgmental feedback.  With this kind of feedback, you can process the behaviors and actions that created the situation, explore other solutions and then implement new actions and behaviors to achieve different results.



This is what we do at Wager’s Way Equine Assisted Action Learning program.  We create a learning environment where many variables can affect the outcome of an exercise and then we facilitate a discussion of those variables and how an individual worked through them to be successful.  Through immediate nonjudgmental feedback from our equine co-facilitators, theory is put into practice and individuals gain insight and skills that they are able to take directly back and apply in the workplace.  Behaviors, strengths and challenges are acknowledged and discussed to formulate more productive outcomes.


While there is certainly great value in seminars and virtual learning for leaders and managers (low overhead, convenience) it is also important to examine whether these types of professional development programs are enough to create the kind of change that helps leaders and managers develop the “people skills” needed to be effective.  After all “Business is still a human enterprise.”

Ginny Telego is a Certified Advanced Facilitator and owner of Wager's Way, an equine facilitated action learning program in Ashland, OH.  www.wagersway.com

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