Women become horse whisperers to improve leadership skills

Dubai: A leadership programme has helped female managers from the public and private sector develop management skills and self-confidence through ‘horse whispering’.

The Dubai Women Establishment’s (DWE) hosted the fifth edition of its flagship equine leadership initiative, ‘Leaders Spirit — Leadership Skills from an Equestrian Perspective Advanced Programme,’ which took place at the Desert Palm Hotel and Resort in Dubai earlier this month.

In collaboration with CHLOE Consultants, the event gave participants the opportunity to interact with horses in order to build their leadership capabilities and enhance their understanding of human behaviour, team dynamics, human development, and creative approaches to conflict and change.

“The two-day workshop is a highly interactive programme offering advanced tools to help participants develop effective leadership skills, keep up with evolving work environments, and increase their productivity and self-confidence in the workplace,” said Shamsa Saleh, CEO of DWE.

The initiative provides an alternative to traditional classroom training, allowing participants to become aware of the unconscious signals they send to others, and see themselves and their teams from a different perspective.

One participant in the programme, Haifa Bin Rasheed, Head of Networks & Technical Support at the Shaikh Zayed Housing Programme, was impressed with the initiative’s coaching style. “This was a new experience for me, which I really enjoyed. The programme helped me to gain a better understanding of professional leadership,” she said.

Leading the event, Yolanda Sing, Founder of CHLOE Consultants, pointed out the effectiveness of equine-assisted learning to help leaders. “Interacting with horses provides participants with key communications tools which can influence people more effectively, and offers a natural opportunity to overcome fear and gain self-confidence,” she said.

Some of the key insights participants gained through the equine exercises included skills in dealing with change, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence.

— The writer is an intern at Gulf News