Taking the Reins ― Leadership, Supervision, & Management Lessons from a Horse

For anyone who wants better relationships and success at the office and at home.
In solution-focused leadership, a leader recognizes, affirms, harnesses, and encourages further development of the strengths of those around him or her, while guiding the team toward a mutually-agreed-upon vision.
Like horses, people in the workplace want to be treated fairly and with respect, are willing to take responsibility, and want to productively contribute. They want to participate, be heard, trust and be trusted, and make a difference. Neither horses nor people are motivated by rules and organizational bureaucracies. Instead, getting through the day in peace, doing a good job, building enduring relationships with others, and finding joy in what they do helps them discover meaning and purpose in their lives.
Many of our top industry producers fail to become superior contributors until they learn to be other-focused. Through conscious and consistent effort, a producer's relationship competence can be raised to the level of his or her technical competence, resulting in a highly-valued leader, supervisor, and manager. Taking the Reins encourages management techniques focused on relationships, supervision based on realistic expectations, and leadership through recognition of the strengths of others.

Harold Kurstedt has 30 years experience teaching strategic thinking, management systems engineering, and relationship competence to practicing professionals. He is an award-winning professor and is a co-founder and the managing member of Newport Group LLC, a leadership consulting and training firm that works with industry, government organizations, professional associations, and people. Harold now focuses on new approaches in leadership oriented toward human relationships in an information-based society.


Tim Thayne has been a passionate speaker, writer, and pioneer in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy for the past 20 years. From his doctoral work at Virginia Tech to now, his use of “Solution-Focused Leadership” has been instrumental in smoothing transitions inside corporations, partnerships, and families. In 2004 Tim created Homeward Bound to lead the movement to educate and support family’s bringing their teens home following therapeutic treatment. Tim’s strength lies in guiding business leaders and parents in their crucial roles as culture builders and change agents.