The Reins of Leadership
Tired of surface-level leadership hacks? Ready to learn genuine presence, deepen your influence, and build unwavering trust with your team?
Welcome to The Reins of Leadership, hosted by Business Leadership Strategist Merinda Smith. This is your essential resource for transforming not just what you do as a leader, but who you are. We go beyond theory, offering practical strategies illuminated by an unexpected source of wisdom: the intuitive world of horses and donkeys.
On this podcast, you will discover how to:
🌸 Understand how your personal energy impacts those around you. Learn practical strategies to manage your vitality, project authentic presence, and inspire action without burnout.
🌸 Move beyond limiting beliefs learn techniques to stay grounded and focused, even under pressure.
🌸 Develop powerful self-awareness, enhance your ability to read team dynamics, and communicate with empathy and clarity.
🌸 Build stronger connections that encourage collaboration and loyalty.
🌸 Gain actionable insights into non-verbal communication, boundary setting, trust-building, and presence, drawn from Merinda's work with horses – nature's masters of authentic leadership. These lessons provide powerful metaphors and direct applications for your own leadership journey.
Ready to lead with more confidence, connection, and impact?
Subscribe to The Reins of Leadership now wherever you get your podcasts, and take the first step towards becoming the present, influential, and trusted leader you aspire to be.
The Reins of Leadership
Why Giving Your Horse (and Your Team) Space Leads to Success
Ever find yourself over-correcting others work, or do you feel the urge to constantly check in on your team, dictate how tasks are done, or even redo their projects? You've been setting up for success, but your instinct to control the minutiae might actually be hindering the outcome.
Does that anxious feeling of needing to make sure everything is perfect, resonate with you? Have you ever been there?
We get it… it often comes from a place of good intentions and a desire for the best results. Many of us have fallen into the micromanagement trap, thinking we’re ensuring success when we might be unintentionally creating new problems.
On this week’s episode, your host, Merinda, unpacks the surprising and powerful parallels between micromanaging your horse over jumps or poles and micromanaging your staff in the workplace.
And it’s not just about "bad riding" or "bad management." Merinda shares a personal insight from a recent jumping lesson, that beautifully illustrates the core issue. The reasons behind micromanaging – often rooted in fear and a lack of trust – are strikingly similar in both arenas, and the solutions might be simpler than you think. Plus, we’re unpacking how this impacts everything from a horse's confidence to your team's morale and creativity.
If you’ve ever experienced frustration despite your best efforts, or a disengaged team despite your constant input, then this episode is for you. If you’ve been looking for ways to build more trust with your employees, this is exactly what you need to hear. If you’re trying to achieve smoother-running projects, this episode will reveal how letting go can lead to better results.
Highlights include:
- What over-adjusting your reins before a jump and constantly overseeing your team’s tasks have in common (and why this instinct often backfires, leading to confusion and poorer performance).
- An enlightening jumping lesson , revealing how observing a rider over simple poles can expose tendencies towards micromanagement and the power of trusting your partner.
- Actionable strategies to "soften the reins" both literally and figuratively – practical steps you can take right now to build confidence, independence, and improve outcomes.
Connect with Merinda:
Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith
Website: www.merindasmith.com.au