Competency: A Balance of Integrity, Ethics, Leadership, Confidence, and Ability

Flopping Aces ^ | 05-03-10 | Skookum

[Starman417]

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." — Abraham Lincoln

Barb Wire Johnny and I had a great adventure planned; we would ride East to the Alaska Highway, turn South and ride through Fort St John to Dawson Creek. There was a lady who had ridden in the Olympics or something who was going to do a riding exhibition. We knew this for a fact; a flyer had come to the main ranch and we had studied it for hours. Now this was a big deal in the Peace River Country and Johnny and I were more than ready to pay our twenty dollars apiece to watch some expert riding and have an evaluation of our own riding. The trip was about 160 miles each way; we’d follow the Alaska Highway for 120 miles or so, it wasn’t like we would be cutting trails and climbing mountains. We could expect to make 50 miles a day with one pack horse to carry our necessaries.

The only potential problem was crossing the Peace River. If the river was high the crossing can be very dangerous: crossing the long high bridge is dangerous if a logging truck comes down the hill with no brakes. Personally, I preferred the river; there was just one problem, Johnny couldn’t swim a lick. If he lost his horse in deep water (not likely) he would drown; I can swim like a fish, but with fast water and a swimming horse and underwater snags, strange currents and whirlpools, there were no guarantees I could get to him if there was trouble. Oh well, we would cross that bridge when we it was time.

[snip]

She had the direct manner and thick accent of a German or maybe an Austrian, it would have irritated us if we weren’t used to foreign people from different cultures.

She rode a big gray stallion and he was a magnificent animal; she did complex movements and gaits that were precise and timed to music. It was a beautiful exhibition of riding. Johnny sat there for three hours, lost in concentration of the riding skills on display. The lady rode four of her own horses and each was a little better than the one before.

Lunch was served, Johnny and I took our plates out into the yard and ate in silence. “I can do most of that stuff,” Johnny said out loud. I had no doubt that he could do anything on a horse; but this woman had these movements set to music and her horses were very expensive.

[snip]

There were two main characters in this theater of life: Barbwire Johnny who had 10,000 years of horsemanship flowing through his veins and The German Lady who had mastered the cavalry movements required of officers and men to keep order and formation on a battlefield with as many as 10,000 horses. They were both masters and they both learned from each other and respected each other‘s abilities.

Johnny glimpsed the fine tuned cavalry movements for the first time in his life and the German Lady saw, probably for the first time, the riding skills of the primitive equestrian that served in countless cavalries throughout history and beyond.

Both of these individuals commanded respect by their abilities and by their composure. No one within 500 miles could duplicate the riding skills of either one and each watched the other with the eye of a master.

These individuals commanded respect because of their accomplishments and abilities. There was no arrogance or narcissism there was only a display of ability and knowledge. The idea of discussing prestigious universities would have been laughable for between Johnny and Me, neither one of us had ever sat at a school desk.

This German equestrian kept a large group of riders with elevated opinions of themselves under her command with ability and presence, key components for leadership. Then she had the graciousness to complement my friend Johnny, not with condescension; but with appreciation for his skills.

The US is now being led by a leader without basic leadership skills nor graciousness; oh sure, he can bow and act with and show a submissive supplicant’s attitude to foreign dictators and royalty, but that can hardly be considered grace, it is more like the comical actions of a buffoon or a court jester. A leader or a statesman can inspire his people to follow him and through judicious decisions people gain confidence people will increase their confidence in a leader’s abilities. Leadership qualities based on appearance and charismatic qualities that are only initial superficial if you consider the likeness of Lincoln or even Napoleon; neither of these men relied on physical appearance to inspire others.

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