As a voracious viewer of National Geographic’s Friday night television program, “The Dog Whisperer” with Cesar Milan, and a leadership seminar consultant, one who loves making Connections from incongruous sources, I am always struck by the similarities of “becoming the pack leader” and the “art of leadership.”

Cesar Milan tackles dog problems which are the worst of the worst, from “red zone” dogs (read “steroid” aggression) to dogs who “own their owners,” to cowering dogs fearful of the slightest noise or movement.

What is fascinating about the show is something all his fans know:  Cesar usually works more with the owners than he does with their dogs.  The owners have not reached that “calm, submissive state” wherein they become the “leader of the pack.”  Dogs, like many people, will instinctively fill a leadership void, even though they are a 5 pound Chihuahua.

Connection Number 1:  Power has nothing to do with size, gender, or age.  It has to do “owning” one’s space, using non-verbals of confidence and ease, and demanding respect in a respectful way.

Cesar often trains people to use their non-verbals–their “presence”–to command respect.  Dogs, like people, sense and can take advantage of fear, anxiety, or helplessness.  Dogs know passive/submissive dogs instantly, and they know the same about their owners.

So Cesar will teach the owner how to pull their shoulders back yet remain relaxed, walk with the chest up and out, keep their eyes straight ahead and hold the leash with a slight touch, not with nervous tension.

Connection Number 2:  There are times when we have to bluff confidence through managing our non-verbals:  eye contact, posture, vocal tone.  When I teach presentation skills, I teach the cultural non-verbals of credibility and authority this culture values so highly and then translate these into specific non-verbals to exhibit in front of an audience.

Cesar works with attitude by teaching owners to “be in the moment,” just like their animals are.  Do not expect the dog to exhibit the same destructive behavior that has been a part of the past.  This is the first hour of change; do not look back; look past the fear that change cannot occur.  Do not “What if” your way into expecting old behaviors.  Keep trying until the dog “surrenders” to the new expectations.  Take charge of the process.

Connection Number 3:  When tackling a new leadership role at work or attempting to overcome the fear of public speaking, focus on the first step of change, let go of old negative expectations, accept the discomfort of change, acknowledge it is the first step, and do not look back.  As a client once said to me: ”Fear of public speaking is nothing but an old habit.  I’m tired of that habit.  I am going to break it….starting now.  That was then.  Now is now.” 

He is now a fully confident, polished, comfortable leader and presenter.  But first he had to change his expectations and diligently practice his new habits.

I am surprised Cesar Milan has not been approached by a publishing company to write a leadership book–for people–using the same principles he uses in training dogs and their owners.  When I find a client who watches the show consistently, as I do, it is so easy to translate the leadership techniques into ones that are useful in the work place.

You can learn something from this show even if you are not a pet owner.  Leadership is leadership and being a “pack leader” who leads without exhibiting anger, defensiveness, or passivity is powerful in both personal and professional worlds.

So whether you are an anxious five pound Chihuahua or a red zone Chow, you can learn some life changing techniques simply by tuning in each Friday night for an hour of “The Dog Whisperer.”

Since announcing the initiation of my new blog, several people–most notably of my generation–have made comment on the “ugly” sound of the spoken word “blog.”  One client suggested a contest to rename the “web log” contraction.  So!  Any ideas?  Instead of BLOG, it could be called a _______________________.  Surely with all the creativity residing in the blog-o-sphere community, we can surface some possible–and funny–possibilities.