Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Watching my daughter train our dog with treats and commands rather than yanking the leash taught me a valuable lesson about leadership, parenting, and business systems. Sometimes we need to provide clear instruction and opportunity to respond before resorting to correction.
What?
This morning, my daughter Liz was feeding some crispy breakfast roll chunks to our dog. Rather than just giving the treats, she made the dog work for them, going through all the tricks: sit, lay down, spin, shake, and even teaching new tricks like balancing treats on the nose.
Later, while walking the dog, I noticed how we often yank the leash when the dog lingers too long sniffing something. I suggested to Liz that maybe we should first say “come on” instead of immediately yanking, giving the dog an opportunity to respond before correction.
This made me think about Dave Ramsey’s story about his eldest daughter going to college. He gave her a coil of rope, explaining that she had earned a long rope of trust and responsibility through her actions. He told her the rope was now fully hers to hold and direct.
Why?
These everyday moments reveal profound truths about how we lead, teach, and interact with others. Whether it’s training a dog, raising children, or managing a team, our approach to instruction and correction dramatically impacts outcomes and relationships.
Lesson
The real lesson is about giving people opportunity – opportunity to learn, understand, and perform before resorting to correction. Just like giving the dog a chance to respond to “come on” before yanking the leash, we should provide clear instructions and systems for those we lead.
I’m still working on this with my kids, as I sometimes slip into a “mean voice mode” or saying things like “that’s not okay” – which crushes my 9-year-old even though I’m trying to address the behavior rather than criticize him as a person.
Good systems, clear instructions, and patient training produce far better results than reactive correction. This applies equally to parenting, leadership, and business operations.
Apply
Think about where you could implement better systems, documentation, or training instead of constantly “yanking the leash.” Consider:
– Where have you been yanking instead of instructing?
– What process could you improve with better documentation?
– What system or strategy has worked well for training and creating high performance in your home, family, business, or community?
Take a moment to write down a specific area where you could replace reactive correction with proactive instruction.
You Be blessed.
Training vs. Yanking Building Better Systems for Growth
