Which Method Would You Choose?

A colleague of mine shared a great story with me that I thought would be worthwhile to share with others about the difference between compliance and commitment. The root of the word "manage" is apparently from an Italian word meaning to train a horse. Traditionally we have heard this refered to as "breaking" the horse or teaching it to submit to its master's will. You use a number of techniques to accomplish this:

• - saddling the horse and riding it until you wear it out and break its will
• -tying the saddled horse to a tree or post until it tires itself out
• -drowning the horse or similar techniques

A new process has emerged called gentling or "starting" the horse. This technique uses very different methodologies:

• - observing the horse carefully
• - familiarizing the horse gradually to the weight, smells,etc of the new experience
• -gaining the horses trust and willing agreement

Sometimes in a turbulent atmosphere we act like the first trainer. We see chaos and reluctance as rebellion and we seek to "break" the behavior. It may appear to be effective in the short term, but underneath is an attitude of fear and resentment.

I think that the first method is outdated and will not get you the results that you are looking for on a sustained basis. That's why Darby and I created New Paradigms. If you are interested in the "new" process, check out our case study at Compliance to Commitment.

MH