If You Are a Dog Lover, You Already Know How to Manage People

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May 15, 2023

by John O. Burdett

We might only share 82% of our DNA with our furry friends but there are profound lessons to be drawn from how you interact with your dog – lessons that have implications for managing people.

A while ago a new puppy arrived in my home. In working with the cute little guy it struck me that having a happy dog wasn’t far removed from being a successful manager.

If it seems whimsical to compare dogs with humans – think again. Both follow patterns of behaviour common to all mammals; both have a strong emotional component to their makeup; both have brains that are skewed towards making sense of vocal sounds; and both are very sensitive to their environment.

We might only share 82% of our DNA with our furry friends but there are profound lessons to be drawn from how you interact with your dog – lessons that have implications for managing people. Keeping your dog engaged – a bored dog (employee) is not a happy dog – socialising your pal with other dogs and other people – and building positive habits – are all essential.

Less obvious but every bit as important are the following…

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Contents:

• Introduction
• 1. “Fit” isn’t important, it’s everything
• 2. Positive reinforcement shapes behaviour far more than threats, criticism and/or punishment.
• 3. A happy dog, is far more about training the owner than it is the dog.
• Conclusion

This article is an extract of content © Orxestra® Inc. The download is available from the TRANSEARCH International website.

John O. Burdett is founder of Orxestra® Inc. He has extensive international experience as a senior executive. As a consultant he has worked in more than 40 countries for organisations that are household names. John has worked on organisation culture for some of the world's largest organisations. His ongoing partnership with TRANSEARCH International means that his thought leading intellectual property, in any one year, supports talent management in many hundreds of organisations around the world. Get in touch with John O. Burdett »