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In this episode...

Loose Leash Leadership

https://faithfulontheclock.com/loose-leash-leadership

What does a well-trained dog who’s able to walk with a loose leash teach you about leadership? TONS! Episode 130 uses that picture to explain why obedience is a gift that’s earned.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:30] - Observations of dogs and handlers in the park

[01:33] - What makes dogs stay by their handlers with a loose leash; concepts of negative and positive reinforcement

[03:24] - Obedience as a response to feeling safe and taken care of

[04:49] - Training people to stay next to you; example of my friend offering consistent kindness

[06:25] - Importance of asking if your rewards are appropriate for the situation; goal of building expectation of reliability and consistency in how you show up

[07:09] - The connection between training, trust, and being led into new tasks or circumstances

[8:07] - The need to see God’s full story to understand how He disciplines; why He is worthy of trust

[11:45] - God as a consistent, ever-present trainer; the need to show up every day for those you lead and to be patient within appropriate expectations

[15:15] - Summary of key concepts

[15:38] - Prayer

[16:00] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• Dog handlers can use either negative reinforcement (e.g., hitting with a stick) or positive reinforcement (e.g., offering a treat) as they train their dogs. A loose leash combined with a confident posture from the dog as they stay next to the handler is a sign that the dog is choosing to stay and obey because they trust the handler.
• The training principle for dogs applies even to people — if you try to force people to follow, they might stay, but only out of fear, not a sense of safety and loyalty.
• To earn obedience from others at work, you need to discover what reward is appropriate for the situation and build the expectation that you will be reliable and consistent in how you show up.
• When people learn that they are safe with a good leader, they will follow them even into new situations and tasks, just like dogs who enter different courses and spaces in competitions.
• We need to look at the entirety of the Bible to understand God’s complete character and the way he consistently and appropriately disciplines and rewards us. His discipline is not random and is always protective.
• All of us are in training. But as a leader, we have to be an ever-present help and keep showing up to reinforce what people need to learn. We also have to be patient and give people time to adjust to the expectations we have.

• You Don't Win By Trying

CTAs:

• Identify one material or non-material thing someone could reward you with that could motivate you to take action.
• Identify one material or non-material thing you could give to a person you’re trying to motivate toward action. If you’re not sure what would motivate them, ask!

What’s coming up next:

Have questions sometimes? We all do. Episode 131 of Faithful on the Clock welcomes Catherine Cowell for a discussion of why making space for all kinds of inquiry is so critical to good leadership.

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