Gallup’s recent research across 52 countries, highlights a timeless truth: no matter where we live or what challenges we face, people consistently look for hope, trust, compassion, and stability in their leaders. These qualities endure even in times of uncertainty and rapid change. Interestingly, one of the best teachers of these leadership essentials isn’t found in a boardroom or classroom — but in the barn.

Horses, with their sensitivity, honesty, and presence, reflect our leadership style in real time. By working with horses, we can see how these four universal needs play out in action.

1. Hope: Inspiring Vision Through Presence

Hope is about offering a sense of direction — the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. Horses live in the present moment but are always scanning for signals of what’s ahead. When a handler steps into the arena, the horse looks for clarity: Where are we going? What’s expected of me?

A leader who approaches with grounded energy and clear intention naturally inspires the horse to follow. Similarly, in human leadership, hope isn’t about empty promises; it’s about showing up with conviction and guiding others with calm assurance toward a shared vision. Horses remind us that vision is communicated less by words and more by the presence we carry.

2. Trust: Earned Through Consistency

Trust is the cornerstone of any relationship, and with horses, it cannot be faked. They instinctively read body language, tone, and energy. If your signals are inconsistent — asking for one thing but meaning another — the horse does not feel safe in your presence.

When a leader shows up with consistency, fairness, and follow-through, a horse learns to rely on them. Likewise, people need leaders who match their words with actions. Trust isn’t established overnight; it’s built moment by moment, through alignment between intention and behaviour. Horses show us that integrity is the fastest path to trust.

3. Compassion: Connection Through Empathy

Compassion is not weakness — it’s the bridge that creates connection. Horses, as prey animals, are highly attuned to emotions. Just like us, they want to feel seen and heard.

In leadership, compassion looks like listening, understanding, and recognising others’ needs. Horses teach us that when leaders approach with empathy and respect, collaboration replaces resistance. Compassion builds psychological safety, the fertile ground for growth.

4. Stability: Grounded Calm in Uncertainty

In a rapidly changing world, people crave stability — the feeling that their leader can remain steady no matter the storm. Horses reflect this need powerfully. When a person stays calm and grounded, even in unpredictable circumstances, the horse finds reassurance and settles.

Stability doesn’t mean controlling every outcome; it means bringing calm, clarity, and resilience. Horses show us that stability is less about external control and more about internal composure. Leaders who embody this become anchors for their teams.

Why Horses?

Horses are honest teachers. They respond immediately and without judgment, offering leaders a living reflection of how they show up. In their presence, the abstract concepts of hope, trust, compassion, and stability become tangible, embodied experiences.

In a world that is moving faster than ever, leadership lessons from horses remind us of something ancient and enduring: what people — and horses — need most from leaders hasn’t changed. It is timeless.

I just read the 2025 Skills Horizon report and it got me thinking about the contrast between Animal Instinct (AI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) — and how reconnecting with our human instincts is critical in a tech-saturated, AI-driven future.

Animal Instinct vs Artificial Intelligence: Rediscovering Human Connection in an Age of Algorithms

My husband is an IT partner in a global consulting firm and excitedly tells me of developments in the digital world, especially the advancements in AI. It is mind-blowing! On hearing this and doing my own research, I believe that the more sophisticated AI becomes, the more vital it is to remain deeply human.

As we accelerate into a decade defined by artificial intelligence, automation, and synthetic realities, an ancient intelligence quietly calls out to us — not coded in lines of software but hardwired in evolution: animal instinct.

This primal, embodied intelligence — intuition, empathy, social connection, ethical impulse — has guided humans for millennia. But in a world reshaped by the relentless logic of machines, we risk sidelining these vital faculties. And the stakes are high.

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has become the defining force of our time. From generative models that can simulate human conversation, to algorithms that drive decisions in healthcare, finance, and hiring — AI is no longer a tool. It’s its own ecosystem. And it’s changing how we work, think, and relate.

The 2025 Skills Horizon report describes AI not just as a productivity enhancer, but as a profound cultural force. AI fluency and generative AI usage are listed as critical leadership skills — capabilities that amplify everything else.

But alongside these opportunities comes a deep tension: As AI becomes more human-like, will humans become more machine-like?

Animal Instinct: The Lost Intelligence

Unlike artificial intelligence, animal instinct is not programmed — it is felt. It resides in our gut decisions, our empathetic impulses, our social rhythms, and our non-verbal cues. It is the source of trust, intuition, moral judgment, and belonging. And it cannot be automated.

Ironically, as AI begins to replicate outward signs of intelligence — language, creativity, decision-making — what separates us isn’t cognition. It’s connection.

“Our leaders must be much more human… more caring and more innovative.” David Gonski AC, Chancellor, UNSW

In disorienting times, this natural intelligence becomes our compass. We need to re-attune ourselves to the human — even the animal — in how we lead.

The Urgency of Human Connection

The 2025 Skills Horizon outlines five global shifts — values, technology, accountability, trust, and energy — all of which are destabilising traditional leadership models. Amid synthetic media, geopolitical fragmentation, and algorithmic decision-making, the greatest scarcity may be authentic human presence.

The report introduces “Productive Work Communities” as a critical amplifier of all leadership skills. And this requires emotional intelligence, flexibility, storytelling, and the ability to foster psychological safety — all rooted in our instinct to belong and connect.

“The truth is no longer the truth… Opinions become the new truth.”

Morten Wierod, CEO, ABB

In a world of deepfakes and misinformation, trust is no longer a default — it’s a deliberate act. Leaders must now build trust at scale, not through technological prowess alone, but by tapping into the animal instinct of authentic connection.

Rediscovering the Human Operating System

We often talk about AI as if it’s a new brain. But the future will belong to those who understand that the human operating system is not just logical — it’s emotional, embodied, and ethical.

• Empathy over efficiency
• Listening over automation
• Presence over performance

“What you will need is a new type of competence… like social sciences and humanities.” Dragoş Tudorache, Chair, EU AI Committee

Skills like humanities thinking, leading across generations, and mental wealth are rising to the top of the leadership agenda. These are not digital skills — they are animal instincts in disguise.

Instinct as Strategy

All of this made me think that in the age of Artificial Intelligence, Animal Instinct is not regression — it’s resilience.

We must remember that what makes us most effective as leaders isn’t how well we simulate intelligence, but how deeply we connect, relate, and care. The true power lies not in beating the machine — but in being more human than ever before.

So the next time you’re on your laptop or phone, ask yourself:

Can it feel trust? Can it build belonging? Can it hold ambiguity?

Accepting and acknowledging anxiety in difficult times

With a pandemic and a slew of natural disasters changing life as we know it, it’s hardly unexpected that many of us are living in a state of constant anxiety right now. And, with a long weekend approaching, it’s worth acknowledging this constant worry and seeing if you can use this additional time to live in the present and relieve the pressure.

Last week, I was bringing our horses in to the barn as a new storm brewed on the horizon. We had plenty of time, we were not in danger, and I was handling the situation in a calm and efficient manner. So I thought…

I was really surprised to find my horses, Legs and Opal, reacting to me in a way that was different to usual. They were jumpier, less co-operative. It was only at that point that I realised: my anxiety was sky-high. And, despite telling myself that everything was fine, the horses could see beyond my façade and reacted accordingly.

An anxious time

So, why was I so anxious? Well, the obvious answer was that the heavy rains had already flooded my office (we weren’t in a flood area; the culprit was a blocked pipe). However, I think it runs deeper than that; it was not just this one incident that threw me, but the accumulation of a turbulent few months. Of course, a flood is a distressing event, but when it comes on the back of a pandemic and devastating bushfires, then it all snowballs.

And, I feel I’m not the only one. That ‘always worried’ feeling is normal right now: in Australia, mental health problems are twice as common as pre-pandemic. This is the case  across the globe; a US study found 42% of adults felt they were suffering from depression or anxiety at the end of last year, up from 11% in 2019.

Yes, Australia is doing well in the pandemic compared to other places, but its effects are still a constant presence in our lives; for example the new lockdown in Brisbane, the end of JobKeeper and ongoing worry about elderly relatives or loved ones who live overseas.

As we headed into 2021, the biggest concerns Australians had were around employment and the economy, ahead of the health fears that were front of mind in the early days of the pandemic. To me, this shows that our anxiety is likely to be around for a while yet as we deal with the fallout of everything that’s happened in the past few months.

Being aware of the impact your anxiety has on others

The incident with the horses was also an important reminder that it’s important to acknowledge and accept anxiety. I’d tried to push that anxiety down, but the horses had seen right through it.

Think about this in the context of your work life as well. To the horses, I am their leader and my obvious anxiety made them act in ways they don’t normally. If you’re working with or leading others, then they are likely to pick up on your anxious vibes.  And you are likely to pick up on the anxiety-driven moods of colleagues,, so try to be understanding.

It’s also a reminder that leaders should not always push their concerns down. Good leaders are strong, yes, but that doesn’t mean they should never show vulnerability. A great leader will be authentic and acknowledge their behaviour.

Be positive – but also give yourself a break

As a rule, I always try to be positive. I have a roof over my head, me and my loved ones are well, we have food to eat. There’s no reason to complain.

But the trouble with unrelenting or unthinking positivity is that it can push down all those feelings and leave them to fester. It’s okay to acknowledge anxiety and then take positive steps to move forward. Of course, not everyone can just ‘snap out’ of anxiety, and don’t hesitate to seek help if you need it. But, the incident with the horses did at least bring me back to the moment and give me fresh perspective. Horses don’t worry as much about the future (which is the source of much anxiety), and we can learn a lot from that.

How we deal with anxiety is no easy question, but perhaps the approaching long weekend presents an opportunity. Acknowledging our anxious feelings and trying hard to enjoy this extra time might be good for all of us. Doing nothing without guilt, enjoying the company of other or having some fun are all ways to go about it.

What can you do to relieve anxiety during your downtime?

It’s a difficult time for all of us – why not try developing some leadership skills which will set you on a strong path through life and work? Email us at info@lepd.com.au to learn more about our unique leadership training.