Sled Dogs Exemplify Leadership
I recently returned from a new experience: Dogsledding and camping in Ely, Minnesota with the Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge family. It was an amazing adventure augmented by the presence of five incredible Canadian Inuit dogs pulling my sled.
These working dogs were friendly, loving, and docile, but when pulling the sled down the trail they became determined machines focused on one thing: Pulling. This display of teamwork made me think about leadership, and what an example they provided!
Peter Drucker mentioned five facts about leadership (although in humans not dogs). But…here goes a comparison with my five Canadian Inuits: Frazer and Embla (the lead dogs); Hendrix (the swing dog); and Zephyr and Ranger (the wheel dogs).
One dog can make the difference between success and failure. They were all part of the team and, in that sense, leaders.
Success depends upon all the dogs working as a team. The swing dog helped steer the team (especially around sharp corners); the wheel dogs provided the agility and additional muscle; and the two lead dogs set the pace and charted the course.
No one member of the team waited for volunteers. Every dog stepped up to the occasion - and they weren’t reliant on any one dog to lead the way.
The essence of leadership is to help members of a team perform to their maximum potential. These pooches responded to words of encouragement and support from the human sledders, but their effort was 100% plus 100% of the time.
These amazing dogs are well fed and very well taken care of, but their living and work environments are harsh by our standards. Their motivation to perform is driven by something they just love to do: Pull.
These Canadian Inuit dogs certainly demonstrated admirable traits of individual leadership to emulate in our daily endeavors, may they be at work or at home.
Our Sled Dogs
To learn more about the history of the Canadian Inuit dogs, visit the Canadian Encyclopedia. Photos are a copyright of Elevate Next, LLC.
Interview with Peter Schurke of Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge
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After an incredible four-day dogsledding adventure, which included camping with the Canadian Inuit dogs at night after chilly day trips over frozen lakes and through forested hills, I interviewed Peter Schurke, son of Wintergreen’s founder and dogsled guide, about the process of caring for these beautiful, strong, and intelligent working dogs.