Skip to main content

What Dogs Teach Us About Leadership

Because 44 percent of U.S. households with at least one dog according to ASPCA, many of us don't have to go far to learn about leadership. That's because, according to co-authors Krissi and Dan Barr, dogs can teach humans a lot about leadership.

And, in their new book, The Fido Factor: How to Get a Leg Up at Work, they outline the four qualities every leader needs to succeed and earn respect, and in their book, they use real-life dog (and human) stories to illustrate these core principles and practices.

These essential four qualities are:

  • Faithful
  • Inspirational
  • Determined
  • Observant
The Fido Factor is an enjoyable, actionable, insightful read, particularly appealing to dog lovers, but equally instructional for even non-pet owners.

Today, Krissi shares these additional insights leadership from her book:

Krissi Barr

Question: How can leaders demonstrate and instill loyalty in a fast-changing, ferociously competitive business world and the age of free agents?

Barr: Your dog isn’t going to dump you and move in with the family down the block. That’s because your pooch is devoted to you because you’ve demonstrated your commitment to her happiness and wellbeing. Unfortunately, most employees don’t feel that same sense of loyalty. We live in a world of free agents, where workers can take their knowledge and expertise to the highest bidder.

Leaders need to focus effort on building that same sense of dog loyalty to their pack at work. There are many ways for leaders and companies to show loyalty. Promoting from within, providing career and professional development, stock options, awards and recognition, gym memberships, even investing in new furniture and equipment: all demonstrate the desire to strengthen the entire organization by caring for each individual team member.

The only way to build dog loyalty is to demonstrate your total commitment to your pack, and that takes work and sacrifice. When times are tough, loyalty is tested. Companies may be able to avoid letting go of associates by temporarily reducing executive compensation, eliminating unnecessary travel and delaying capital investments. The key during belt tightening is to find a way to consistently send the message that the team is loyal to every member.

Loyalty is different from engagement. Engagement is when associates feel connected to their work, company, purpose and vision. Loyalty is when you and your team members run through fences for each other and won’t jump ship when another company offers a modest increase in pay.

To build loyalty, develop your company’s vision or purpose statement and then deliver on that promise. People want to be part of something meaningful. Given a choice between “improving the quality of our customers’ lives” and “make a dollar an hour more doing whatever,” most people will take the job that gives them purpose.

Leaders and companies can also invest in team development, delegate more and involve others in key decisions. People want to be an integral part, not just a cog in the wheel. In addition to loyalty you’ll reap the benefits of increased productivity and revenue growth.

True loyalty is built when you demonstrate your commitment to the other person’s success. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” When it comes to loyalty, actions really do speak louder than words.

Question: You encourage leaders to openly express their caring for colleagues and their own vulnerability. Isn’t there a danger that showing emotion in the workplace will make leaders look weak or even lead to lawsuits?

Barr: Great leaders do the right thing, even when no one is watching. And they especially do the right thing when their teammates are watching.

Showing that you care is one of the most important things a leader can do. It is impossible to build leadership if your team doesn’t believe you care about them or the mission you are on.

Leadership is an art, not a science. There is no formula that says “mix six parts positive emotions with one part anger to strike the ideal leadership balance.”

Many leaders are worried that if they show too much positive emotion they’ll come across as weak. No! Leaders who show positive emotions and even some vulnerability are viewed by their coworkers as more authentic. And authentic leaders are seen as more competent leaders.

Of course, everyone has negative emotions, too. Just make sure you have a filter so everything that irks you isn’t broadcast to the entire team.

Raising your hand when you need help is a sign of strength. Think about it. Most people are afraid to show vulnerability. True leaders know when they need help and don’t hesitate to ask for it.

Showing positive emotions in the workplace—“Bob, congratulations on landing that new account!”—is not going to lead to a lawsuit. It will, however, strengthen the team’s esprit de corps. So wear it on your collar.

Question: What can business leaders learn from dogs’ natural sense of curiosity?

Barr: A lot! Dogs are keenly aware of what’s going on around them. They sniff, they look, they listen: dogs are always trying to get more information about both the things they want (burgers on the grill) and the things they want to avoid (an impending thunderstorm).

Great leaders are curious about the world around them. They use their senses to detect clues, and then stitch themes together into actionable directions. They look at body language and tone of voice, not just the actual words spoken. They listen carefully to what is said and what isn’t. All of this helps them gather more and better information.

Leaders also surround themselves with associates who share a spirit of adventure. That’s because people who like to explore are often the ones who uncover new ideas and trends. Given the speed of change in business, having a team that’s curious about everything is a real competitive advantage.

Urge your team to get close to customers and question everything. Ask “what if” and “how else could we” questions. You just might uncover that brilliant new idea that will lead you down new paths to prosperity.

Socrates said “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.” You need people who relish the spirit of adventure and pave the way to the bright new future for your enterprise.

Curiosity may have killed the cat but it sure helped the dog become an exceptional leader.

Question: Did you learn anything unexpected about business leadership or your own leadership habits during the process of writing The Fido Factor? What would you most like readers to take away from your book?

Barr: Perhaps the most important lesson we learned was the power of an idea. We started with a simple thought: let’s write a book on the leadership wisdom of dogs. It seemed a little crazy at first. After all, there aren’t a lot of canine CEOs. We were either on to something big or barking up the wrong tree.

The more we dug into it, the more parallels we saw. Dogs are faithful, inspirational, determined and observant. Sounds like some fairly significant leadership traits. So we pressed on.

We learned the value of getting feedback from smart people. And that led to a few month’s worth of rewriting. And rewriting is not fun. But it was the right thing to do to make The Fido Factor the best it could be.

Our real jobs each took up 60-70 hours during the work week, so we only wrote on weekends. For two years our limited free time was consumed with even more work. But in the end, the feeling of accomplishment and of creating something that could help people become better leaders made all the sacrifices worth it.

We’d like readers of The Fido Factor to learn some new tricks to help them get a leg up at work. Leadership is often the biggest differentiator in success. Without it, organizations can almost never succeed. With it, almost anything is possible. The book is packed with specific, practical ideas for both experienced and new leaders. Incorporating just one could make all the difference.

Krissi Barr is CEO of Barr Corporate Success, consultants specializing in strategic planning, executive coaching, and behavioral assessments, and the co-author of The Fido Factor: How to Get a Leg Up at Work.

Thank you to the book publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability .  They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

How To Lead A Family Business

Julie Charlestein  is the author of the book,  How To Lead Your Family Business: Excelling Through Unexpected Crises, Choices, and Challenges . Charlestein is also the fourth-generation leader of an incredibly successful family-owned enterprise, and she’s seen it all firsthand, including family drama in the workplace and the office politics that come with any corporation. Her book features her  unique set of strategies for navigating the distinctive challenges and choices facing family businesses. In her highly personal storytelling style, Charlestein shares her experience as an emerging leader and ultimately CEO, who has worked to earn her colleagues’ respect. She details her leadership adventure, offering actionable strategies for those leading and working within their own family businesses. The book is ideal for anyone leading a family business or starting a family business.  It’s also good for anyone taking over an existing (or new) business. More about Charleste...

How To Build Lasting Customer Relationships Using The Triple Fit Strategy

“It’s time for companies to rethink their growth logic and strategy,” according to Christoph Senn and Mehak Gandhi , authors of the new book, Triple Fit Strategy: How To Build Lasting Customer Relationships And Boost Growth .   The authors affirm that there would be much more value if companies no longer operated in a transactional buyer-seller relationship, but instead as a singular team. A team where buyer and seller can collaborate on decisions around planning, execution, and resources like they were one company.   “Today’s business customers don’t just buy products and services; they buy expectations,” explain Senn and Gandhi. “What the customers want is the commitment of and access to the supplier’s total operation. They want problem-solving and creative thinking to keep their business ahead of competition. They want partners.”   In the book, Senn and Gandhi forge an entirely new path for business that embraces a 360-degree customer-centric approach, and they ...

Resolve To Find A Mentor In 2025

Having a mentor is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a leader. So, decide soon to secure a mentor who will work with you during 2025. Make that one of your New Year’s resolutions. A mentor can benefit leaders new to their leadership role and they can benefit experienced and seasoned leaders, as well. A strong mentoring relationship allows the mentor and the mentee to develop new skills and talents, to build confidence, and to build self-awareness. Proper mentoring takes a commitment from both parties and it takes time to develop and to reap the rewards of the relationship. Plan to work with your mentor for no less than three months, and ideally for six months or longer. When seeking out a mentor, think about these questions : 1.  Will the relationship have good personal chemistry? 2.  Can this person guide me, particularly in the areas where I am weakest? 3.  Will this person take a genuine interest in me? 4.  Does this person have the trait...

How Achieving Balance Makes You A More Successful Leader

In his highly authentic, sincere and personal book,  Balancing Act , author  Dr. Andrew Temte, CFA , shares candid insights and timely lessons about the balance needed to succeed as a leader. “I wrote this book in the hope that others will learn from my triumphs and failures. Those who can recover more rapidly from periods of imbalance will have an advantage over those cannot,” says Temte. He firmly believes that  leaders who strive toward balance can more readily identify and curtail organizational entropy, facilitate a culture of trust, and foster diverse organizations and cultures that inspire everyone to bring their “whole sell” to work . “Success without balance is often more disastrous than failure with balance,” explains Temte. “When the unbalanced achieve victory, it often serves to further destructive habits. When the balanced suffer defeat, resilience and perseverance grow.” Tempte further explains that  leaders today often struggle for balance between : St...

Top Five Factors That Drive Employee Loyalty

A 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management shows that job security is what matters most to employees. And, having that job security helps to keep employees loyal.  Okay, that's really not too surprising during these times of high unemployment. Next on the list is benefits . The unstable economy, coupled with rising health care costs, make employer offered benefits more important than ever. Third on the top five list is an employee's opportunity to use his/her skills . When employees feel good about their jobs and their abilities, and clearly know they are contributing to their organization they remain engaged and loyal.  In fourth place is an organization's financial stability . Compensation came in fifth on the top five list. Employee pay often is not the most important driver for employee retention.  Despite study after study that shows pay is not the top reason employees stay with a company, research results like these often surpris...

Ask Your Customers To Help You Write Your Strategic Plan

Mike Brown, the founder of the Kansas City company called, The Brainzooming Group, encourages business leaders to solicit feedback from their customers when creating a strategic plan. Brown recently wrote in Smart Companies Thinking Bigger magazine, that you should “ask a group of current, former and potential customers the following questions:" If you’re a current or former customer, why did you start using us? What have we done in the past to make your biggest challenges more difficult? If you still use us, why do you continue to do so? If you don’t use us currently, what are some of the reasons why you don’t? “These questions are designed to allow your customers to share their perspectives and opinions openly, not rate performance on a numerical scale,” explained Brown. He explained that the answers to the questions will provide you valuable insight into : Your current strengths and weaknesses Opportunities to more successfully help your customers Potential challen...

Do You Really Need To Read Leadership Books?

The answer is yes.  And, fortunately, there are lots out there to select from.  However, if you don't have time to read books about how to be an effective and good leader, you can select a few words from the list below and then practice what those words mean, as you lead your team every day. Leaders on the LinkedIn Executive Suite group came up with these nearly 50 words in answer to a discussion topic I posted in the group forum:  " A Good Leader Is [insert one word]."  A big thank you to that group for this valuable list. Accountable Adaptable Approachable Authentic Aware Bold Brave Candid Caring Clear Challenging Charismatic Compassionate Courageous Credible Decisive Dedicated Ethical Empowering Engaged Fearless Forward-Thinking Gracious Honest Humble Inclusive Influential Inspiring Intuitive Loyal Mindful Moral Motivating Objective Open Passionate Pro-active Receptive Responsible Respectful Skilled S...

3 Coaching And Mentoring Tips

Here are three great tips from the book, The Everything Coaching and Mentoring Book : Coaches do not motivate their employees; they inspire them to motivate themselves.  This is best accomplished by allowing employees to see clearly where they stand in the organization versus where they want to be in their careers.  That is, what are their self-interests versus what the company can offer them. A mentor always exercises the power of suggestion. That is, wise mentors offer up plenty of suggestions to their mentees. They pose alternatives.  But they refrain, as much as possible, from telling their mentees what to do. Mentoring is all about sharing experiences.  It is about mentors imparting the multiple lessons that they've learned to their mentees and helping them better navigate through their own careers.  By absorbing these lessons--of mentors' mistakes and successes--mentees are better prepared to move forward with knowledge and confidence.

How To Avoid 8 Common Performance Evaluation Pitfalls

As the year comes to a close it's likely time for many business leaders to tackle the annual performance appraisal process. So, here is a good reminder from author Sharon Armstrong about how to avoid eight performance evaluation pitfalls .  These are in what I consider is the best chapter of the book The Essential HR Handbook , that she co-authored with Barbara Mitchell. 1.  Clustering everyone in the middle performance-rating categories 2.  Overlooking flaws or exaggerating the achievements of favored employees 3.  Excusing substandard performance or behavior because it is widespread 4.  Letting one characteristic - positive or negative - affect your overall assessment 5.  Rating someone based on the company he or she keeps 6.  Rating someone based on a grudge you are holding 7.  Rating someone based on a short time period instead of the entire evaluation period 8.  Rating everyone high, to make you look good There's ot...