Our work with the horses was powerful and effective because my team had the opportunity to practice, hands on, what they normally just hear or read about in most training,
–Tim Sloane, Director of Strategy, Microsoft Corporation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best thing about working with the horses is that the experience forces you outside your norm.  Everyone is on the same playing field.  There are no advantages or disadvantages of position or status.  The horses don’t care about that.  They are only interested in who you really are and whether or not they can trust you.
–Judi Jones, Advertising Support Manager, Microsoft Corporation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working with the horses has affected us individually and as a team in such positive ways.  I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the creativity of your approach to working with teams.  I’ve had other experiential learning opportunities in my professional life, but this tops the list of meaningful impact, both on individuals and the team as a whole.  Thank you again for a truly memorable and transformative experience!
–Marilyn Mason-Plunkett, CEO, Hopelink

Get out of the office and into the round pen!

And let horses teach you leadership skills that set your career on the fast track

An experienced interim executive and business consultant, Amanda Madorno of Roam Consulting is also an accomplished and lifelong horsewoman. She competes in endurance rides with her Arabians and is an Approved Instructor in Equine Experiential Learning (EEL). Her specialized workshops and retreats put leaders, work teams and horses together to:

• break down silos
• ignite personal and team creativity
• innovate in new and better ways
• develop new skills and awareness often difficult to achieve in typical training environments
  

Amanda conducts customized half-day, full-day and multi-day programs for companies and nonprofit organizations in the greater metropolitan areas of: Seattle, Washington; Greensboro, North Carolina; Great Falls, Montana; Hartford, Connecticut and Tucson, Arizona. Carefully designed interactive sessions and experiences with horses provide opportunities to learn about leadership and team work in a powerful new way. Programs can also be combined with more conventional organizational development agendas, creating a fresh approach to team building and planning processes.

In one-on-one sessions or leadership intensives, executives and other team leaders learn how to use the principles of authenticity, emotional awareness, courage and intuition to refine and even reinvent themselves as thriving leaders in the 21st century work place.

 

Each program is tailored for your goals, which may include how to:

• Increase your ability to lead and influence others
• Tolerate ambiguity and innovate on-the-go
• Make choices and take actions that are congruent with who you are as a leader
• Engage in respectful partnership and cooperation
• Hold yourself and your team accountable for promises and commitments
• Communicate more clearly and effectively within and across teams
• Move more quickly from conflict to resolution
  

Why Horses?

Like humans, horses congregate in complex, fluid social and hierarchical structures. In fact, a team of people and a herd of horses have a lot in common. They both require strong leadership; clear, consistent communication; and a keen awareness of the needs and goals of the group.

Horses provide us with a dramatic view of how our leadership skills and team work measure up. Many employees have been socialized into hiding feelings and reactions in the work place, especially from their leaders. Horses will tell you in no uncertain terms how you're affecting them — if you pay attention to the right signals. They hold up a mirror for those of us in leadership positions that we simply do not get from those who work with and for us.

Horses don't care about titles or degrees, pay scales or professional status symbols. They have no hidden agendas. They respond to us in ways that are immediate, transparent, and honest. They can't be bullied into partnership. They react in direct proportion to a person's ability to lead. Horses are master coaches who can show us when we are:

• Present or absent in conversation
• Aligned in our walk and talk
• Congruent with our bodies and feelings
• Clear about our purpose and what we are asking
• Pretending or judging

 

Horses can provide rich learning experiences to help leaders and work teams build a greater sense of cohesion, improve communications, and gain a deeper experience of 'right relationships' with others.

All activities are designed with safety requirements for both horses and people. No horse back riding is involved and no prior horse or riding experience is necessary to participate. Meet Amanda's herd.

Get a new view of what's possible with horses and contact Amanda for a free 30-minute consultation to establish your goals and criteria for success. Then, work with Amanda to determine the specific topics you would like to have covered. You can also arrange a 2-hour introductory session at Epona Meadows to get a sense of what it's like to work in partnership with horses.