by Timothy Ramsier

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” ― Josh Billings

Growing up, I was always fond of dogs. All the different breeds of dogs fascinated me. Golden Retrievers that enthusiastically play fetch, Siberian Huskies that pull sleds, or even small Pugs that act like clowns. Each breed of dog has its own strengths and weaknesses. I even used to have a few dogs of my own.

Thinking about this made me wonder how dogs were able to integrate with man and flourish like they have. If you don’t own a dog, chances are good that you know someone who does. Dogs have an incredible power of us and many are even able to get us to do what they want. So what is it about a dog that motivates us to do what they want? The following are four characteristics of dogs that make them great leaders of men.

They have a short term memory: Imagine that you are throwing a Frisbee with your dog. You wind up to throw the Frisbee and as you fling your arm forward, launching the Frisbee into the air, your dog takes off after it. She leaps into the air to catch it in her mouth and…she misses. The Frisbee lands on the ground beside her. Now, what does your dog do? Does she lie down on the ground in defeat? No, she likely would pick up the Frisbee and trot right back to you. She already forgot about her failing to catch it and is ready to try again. Having the ability to forget your failures is important as a leader and business person. Wasting too much time regretting a decision or dwelling on what you could have done different not only affects your mood; it affects your ability to move forward.Instead, try to accept that you failed, take a moment to inventory what you could have done differently, and then move on. Don’t dwell on it, don’t beat yourself up over it, just learn from it. This brings me to my next characteristic of dogs. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks: Despite popular opinion, you really can teach an old dog new tricks. The idiom, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” implies that it is nearly impossible to teach someone how to do something differently than they have been doing for a long time. Is the idiom true? I have witnessed many dogs of various ages learn how to do tricks that they had never been taught to do and perform them as well as a much younger dog. Often, it appeared to be even easier to teach an old dog a new trick. So what does that mean for you? No matter how much experience you may have, or how young and inexperienced someone may be, always keep an open mind to a better way. Be willing to learn from anyone and everyone. Opportunity to learn something is all around you. They are always enthusiastic: Anyone who has owned a dog knows how enthusiastic they can get when you are putting food in their bowl, getting home from a long day away from them, or getting ready to take them on a walk. Well, anyone like me, who couldn’t train their dog to have better manners! Dogs are happy and enthusiastic in nearly every situation. I am sure if they could smile, they would perpetually have a smile on their face. Enthusiasm is infectious and is a powerful trait. In sales, enthusiasm can make the difference between closing a sale or not. As a leader, having enthusiasm in your work is crucial. Even more importantly, is enthusiasm for those that work for you. After all, a dog is usually happy to interact with anyone! They have unconditional Forgiveness: For those of us that have owned dogs while living a busy lifestyle, we often find ourselves at the office late, leaving our beloved pet at home. Forced to entertain itself alone all day, our dog plots to get even by fabricating an elaborate plan of revenge that is waiting for us when we get home, right? This is not very likely, unless your dog is part of some type of super smart dog school. For those of you with normal dogs, chances are that they are just as happy to see you on nights that you make it home early and spend all night playing with them versus the nights you are stuck at the office. Why is this? Because dogs forgive us for our failures. Similar to characteristic number one, forgive others for their failures. We are all human after all, and we will make mistakes. There is nothing worse than letting your boss down and having him disappointed in you for weeks. Give people that fail a break. Instead of showing displeasure, show acceptance and assist them in improving. When you are invested in helping someone else, everyone is better off.

Now that you are armed with a little insight into what makes a dog such a lovable pet and how it can help you become a better leader, try it out. I am sure that anyone who works for you will appreciate having a boss who is in a happy mood, has an open mind, is enthusiastic, and quick to forgive. Just like a dog.