Leadership Lessons from the Racetrack
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of horse racing? Most people would say the adrenaline rush from the races, but if you look deeper, you’ll find one core principle of the sport business.
Horse racing has always been about money. Think about it. When modern-day horse racing started to become a thing, it was reserved for the elite. We are talking about people of a higher class, who usually go to the races just to discuss business opportunities. Well, that principle is stuck with the sport.
There is no doubt that the world of horse racing has been refining leadership and performance for generations. One of the most important people, apart from the owners, are the trainers and jockeys, who constantly manage risk, work on their skills, build trust, and make split-second decisions where the stakes are literally life or death.
That’s a lot of pressure, right? Since they’ve been doing this for hundreds of years, and the same principles can apply to the business world, a lot of CEOs can learn a thing or two from people involved in the Sport of Kings.
Systems, Presence, and Continuous Learning
Most people think that trainers are just caretakers of horses, which is totally wrong. They are system thinkers who cracked the code on how to get the best from horses using their intuition and strategy.
Take the late D. Wayne Lukas, who was one of America’s top-tier trainers who won 25 year-end Eclipse awards. He didn’t rely on superstition or gut instinct alone. Yes, that’s necessary, but you also have to build a structured, goal-oriented system where every team member knows their role and can contribute to the success of the horse. He believed that leaders and teams should always find a way to learn and expand their capabilities.
This is exactly the same as leadership in the business world. Businesses nowadays don’t put the same urgency on learning or improving. Some companies only do once-a-year workshops or mandatory online courses, which are not enough.
Professional trainers see learning as part of their career, even for top-tier racehorse trainers. We think that CEOs can borrow this mindset and encourage their organization to treat every project or challenge as an opportunity to grow.
After all, there is a reason why professional horse racing handicappers (pro bettors) carefully observe the horse trainers’ moves. According to TwinSpires, smart ticket building can increase profits, and targeting the right horses with a good team behind them can increase your winning chances.
Another thing that most people don’t mention is that trainers like Lukas, Todd A. Pletcher, or Bob Baffert spent hours physically with their horses, studying every move, breath, or reaction. In the business world, presence matters the same way as in horse training.
Strategy, Adaptability, and Trust
Now let’s take a look at jockeys. They have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. They need to stay in shape throughout their career, push their body to the limit, and find a way to read the track in split seconds.
On top of that, they form a silent partnership with a 1,000-pound animal, and somehow, they sync.
In a race like the Kentucky Derby, jockeys stay calm under immense pressure, and they are locked in on their target, which is the finish line.
So, what can CEOs learn from jockeys? They can adopt a calm demeanor under pressure, make quick decisions after observing the variables, and push themselves to their limits. On top of that, if jockeys can make a connection with an animal that doesn’t speak, what is the excuse of CEOs who still haven’t bonded with their team?
In the business world, market shifts, competitors launching new products, and evolving customer expectations occur faster than ever before. You have to have a jockey mindset in order to adapt to all of these changes.
But the most important lesson we can learn from jockeys is trust. They trust the horse they are riding, and that’s the only way they can succeed. CEOs must work on increasing their trust but also trust their idea, process, and all the people involved.
Communication and Team Cohesion
Even though the horse and jockey often get the biggest credit after a win in a big race, there is a whole team (stable staff, grooms, trainers…) that is responsible for the horse’s success. The same thing goes for business. Success comes from aligned teams that trust each other and are working towards the same goal.
So, clear communication is quite important. In business, CEOs often hide their strategy but sharing it will only make your team more cohesive, making it easier to succeed.
Discipline, Patience, and Emotional Regulation
Lastly, there is absolutely no success in horse racing without discipline and patience. Trainers work with horses every day at unusual hours, and jockeys follow a strict diet to maintain a low weight.
This is called discipline, and it is also crucial in the business world. Some smaller tasks might not make too much sense, or they might not give you any monetary boost, but doing them matters for the overall goal of the company.
Discipline will also allow CEOs to win over emotions and make the right decisions under pressure.
So, it seems like CEOs can learn a lot from a sport like horse racing. Horse racing has survived and thrived for hundreds of years. Therefore, if you want your business to do the same, maybe adopting some of these principles is a good idea.
