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"James Madison University's IMPACT 3 Executive Leadership Program has been an enthusiastic annual participant in Louis Wood's Horse Sense program since 2005.  The program never fails to get high marks from our leaders, expanding their perspectives and deepening their understanding of leadership relationships and expectations.  Its a very important part of our professional development approach for leaders."


Brian Charete, Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning & Engagement
Coordinator Impact 3 Faculty Leadership Development Program

​2017

 


​Horse Sense for Leaders has been:


  • Offered by the Federal Executive Institute as well as the Management Development Centers to an array of federal government executives and managers for the past 15 years.


  • Included as a signature leadership development program for managers with the Internal Revenue Service from across the country for over 12 years​


  • ​Delivered to hundreds of public and private sector entities, including the National Fire Academy, Air Wisconsin, USAID, NOAA, U.S. Army, National Association of Realtors, University of Virginia National Criminal Justice Command College, Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as numerous city government management teams, college and university management and supervisory cadres, and other intact work groups.


  • ​Featured in publications as far ranging as Newsweek, Training & Development Journal, The Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, The Trail Less Traveled and other business publications

     

​​​Leadership Development and Relationship Building


Mountainview Ranch

​Horse Sense for Leaders

"Building Better Relationships Thru Clear Communication"

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"The effectiveness of a leadership development program is the ability to transfer the training and learning outcomes to positively impact the organization.  Horse Sense did just that.  Our managers are still talking about Horses Sense and The Cowboy months later; and, the organizational impact -- a revised leadership philosophy"

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E. Gray, OD Specialist/Coach 

Fairfax County Government

2017​​



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"The series of Horse Sense Leadership courses are among the best classes that I have ever attended.  The insights that one received from these courses are moving, effective and enlightening.  As fire chief in Charlottesville, I was so impressed that I had every department supervisor and aspiring supervisors to attend this course.  It not only imprinted valuable information on each individual but also resulted in very strong team building.  Even today, I remember unique phrases and share the knowledge that I learned from these courses to others.  I would recommend Louis Wood and his Horse Sense program to everyone!"


Charles Werner

Retired Fire Chief

​Charlottesville, Va​​

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Can people learn about leadership and productive work relationships from a cowboy?  Come to this workshop and find out why thousands of people from across the country have responded with a resounding "YES!"


This powerful learning opportunity focuses on establishing relationships based on mutual trust and respect.  If you've ever struggled with finding ways to:

  • establish a shared understanding of mutual needs and expectations
  • gain commitment and increase motivation
  • develop meaningful partnerships with employees, colleagues, and customers
  • deal with conflict resolution or manage change in the workplace
  • establish clear and concise lines of communication creating a common thread throughout your organization 

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. . . . . . . then you will benefit from this unique leadership development workshop.


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What's different about this program?


 Why should you invest in this particular program?  People who have experienced the program have provided the following answers to that question:

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  • The program provides a visual, dynamic demonstration of the practices and principles at the heart of leadership.​
  • It teaches in a way that allows people to see those practical steps and the results they achieve with their very own eyes.  A key to the program's success is that people give the horse the benefit of the doubt they often deny their human relationships.  Rather than discount what they are witnessing or being influenced by the potential baggage that their relationships with humans often carry, participants consistently remain open to observe and reflect on what they are witnessing in the round pen and therefore are more willing to consider what the experience has to offer in terms of their effectiveness with others.​
  • The program offers a fresh perspective on leadership as attendees observe the interaction between horse and human.  The visual imagery, the use of the cowboy-horse relationship as a metaphor for human relationships and the program's unorthodox setting - an equestrian arena- make the experience unlike any other leadership development program.

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Here's what clients are saying: