Last night I was eating a bowl of pasta for dinner and heard an odd sound coming from the basement that I really couldn't identify. I leave the door from the kitchen to the basement open a crack all day so that the cats have the run of the house. Just as I was about to get up to check it out, the sound changed into one that I could identify - the soft jingling of sleigh bells. I have several strings of them hanging by the stairs and the youngest cat plays with them. (This makes me laugh because I had nicknamed her Ring-ting-tingler before she had ever discovered them.) So I settled back into the chair when another kind of commotion began. I looked up to see a bird flying into the kitchen from the basement being pursued by my two cats. A big bird! I think it was a grackle! The bird had perched up on my cabinets. I leaped out of the chair and was now a couple feet away from the bird, thinking that if I could get the bird into a towel somehow, I could let it free. But one cat was hot in pursuit so the bird flew right towards me - no doubt it was as horrified as I was. I instantly ducked and when I looked up the bird was gone. Where??? I did not know but it couldn't be far. I carefully checked the rubber plant in the corner, but no luck. I headed for the basement to see if it had gone back down, and as I descended the stairs the cats followed me. They must have thought I had the inside scoop on where the bird was. A quick look around the basement revealed no signs of it there. So I headed back upstairs and as I stepped back into the kitchen, the bird reappeared on top of the other cabinet. Smart bird - it had been waiting for the cats to disappear, so I quickly spun on my heels and shut the basement door behind me to keep the cats there. Of course now my dog was excited by all the commotion so I closed her in the guest bedroom. I finished by shutting all remaining open doors to minimize places the bird could go and opened the door to outside. I stood between the kitchen and dining room to encourage the bird to head to the door. First it tried to fly out the closed window by the sink and then hopped onto the counter and behind the microwave looking for escape. Finally it hopped onto the floor and around the refrigerator and saw the open door. Without a moments further hesitation it took flight out the door. I still have absolutely no idea how the bird got into my basement in the first place since I was unable to find any opening from the inside and or outside. I am attributing it to magic.
So what does this have to do with your horse business? Compare it to how you react when an unexpected issue occurs. How quick are you on your feet? Do you start trouble shooting the issue right away? Do you work to minimize other possible complications? When the immediate situation has resolved, do you look for the root cause? And when no rational answer presents itself, can you let go of it and move on? There are many different ways and styles to manage a business, and as a business owner/manager its a good idea for you to be in touch with your personal style. Knowing your style allows you to identify your strengths and your weaknesses. And by knowing this, you'll know when to react and when to ask for help. Self-awareness is one stepping stone towards success.
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