Our often called, ‘Best Friend’ has and continues to teach us all manner of life lessons. While the Dog Days of Summer will soon be upon those who live in the northern hemisphere, not all dogs choose to stay on the porch.
Most dogs are action oriented. Throw a ball or a stick and some will retrieve it, seemingly endlessly. In this they set a high bar for consistent behavior. Their relationship with the thrower changes when the conditions or situation gets both parties off the porch.
Often attributed to comedian Steve Harvey and others, “Dogs don’t bark at parked cars” has taken on a wide range of meanings. The one that stands out is Leadership!
Action oriented dogs will address issues of the day, i.e., car movement. They are not interested in hunks of metal (dead weight) accomplishing nothing. It makes no sense to bother with an inanimate object, unless the goal is to get inside it so you can hang you head out the window once it is on the highway.
Focus is on the doable, not the abstract.
Enter the Human
Archelogy suggests that dogs were domesticated between 20-40,000 years ago. They have been our companions, confidants and supporters longer than any other non-humans.
Today, dogs lead in all manner of endeavors, as pets, service and support partners, drug and explosive identification and even becoming a ‘go human interest videos’ on social media including LinkedIn.
One can argue that the bond between dog and humans is unique. They seem to have a rare ingrained sense of our emotions. Likewise, our bond with them is often even stronger than it is with our family members. Indeed, they are often referred to as ‘family.’
For some dog fun, take a look at this short video. Puts the car-dog-human relationship into perspective.
It is hard to imagine life without dogs in it. This pundit sees this phenomena almost everyday when the dog walkers go by, often with 3-5 dogs. Our lives are better because thousands of years ago they chose to adopt us.
R B C
We have long been a proponent of the Relationship, Behavior, Conditions (situation) model for human and cross cultural interactions. More on this can be found on our website.
The point of this blog is that this model is not limited to human to human interactions. It has broad use between all manner of cultures. Even canine to human!
Leadership
“If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.” A familiar statement regarding sled dog teams. Moreover, dogs and wolves are collaborative pack animals and each pack has an Alpha Male (canine or human).
Both humans and canines collaborate to accomplish a given task or set of tasks. Leadership sets the path and assures that the ‘team’ remains focused and all members achieve a level of personal and organizational satisfaction during and after the project is completed.
Dogs are good role models for all of us. Their unconditional love and support are legendary. Since “All dogs go to heaven,” we know that they have our best interests at heart.
Just a Doggone Minute! Have You Hugged Your Best Friend Today?
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For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game. You can contact this author as well.