How leadership is a lot like falconry

Let’s face it, leadership is a fun thing. Many say that it is an innate ability, that you are born with, while others try to find ways to teach leadership. For the last 16 years, I have been a falconer. A falconer is an individual who, often out of passion, takes a bird of prey, trains it to accept a hunting association, and returns to the field with that bird to hunt wild game.

How can falconry be related to leadership? Consider the first sentence in the definition above. “A falconer is an individual who, often out of passion. If managers are going to exhibit leadership, they must first have passion. Leading others is often a daunting task, and if you as a leader are not fully committed to an outcome, your ability to lead others with you will be hampered.

A key element of leadership is the ability to help those to whom you report and to whom you report excel. Excellence, vision, rapport, and compassion are all necessary skills to succeed as a leader. If passion is lacking, the ability to lead is also lacking. Helping your reporters stand out requires the same vision a falconer needs to train a newly caught bird.

Imagine taking a falcon or falcon, a bird that by its very nature is afraid of humans, following a set plan of action, and eventually setting it free to fly free, chase game, and return to you at the end of the game. hunting. A true leader has a similar vision, to create an environment that enables employees to perform, but at the end of the day they remain accountable for their successes or failures.

As a leader, or student of leadership, it is key to remember that both passion and skill are the foundation of the ability to lead. We can talk about the passion of a falconer, but passion never surpasses skill. If training skills are lacking, the day the bird is released and free, it just won’t come back. Leadership is similar, if key leadership skills are missing, passion alone will not be enough.

So when you think of leadership, remember the lessons of the ancient art of falconry. Passion is vital to success, but don’t rely on that desire alone. Gain the leadership skills needed to succeed, combine them with passion or vision, and you’ll see your leadership skills come to life.