Dubai Women Establishment hosts 5th edition of Equine Leadership Programme

Female professionals from the public and private sectors participate in flagship ‘horse whispering' workshop

Dubai, 1 February 2017:  Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) recently hosted the fifth edition of its flagship “Leadership Skills from an Equestrian Perspective Advanced Program”, in collaboration with CHLOE Consultants, which took place at the Desert Palm Hotel and Resort in Dubai. The programme is designed to help female middle to senior level managers to develop their leadership skills and self-confidence, and overcome the common emotional and environmental triggers that can limit personal and professional growth. 

Through the effective methodology of equine leadership, the programme follows an innovative approach to building leadership capabilities, through consistent and clear communication with horses, known as ‘horse whispering'. During this process, participants become aware of the unconscious signals they send to others, and can see themselves and their teams from a different perspective, providing unique insights into their natural leadership tendencies. 

The programme helps participants to enhance their understanding of human behaviour, team dynamics, human development and creative approaches to conflict and change, as well as the fundamental differences between management and leadership. 

HE Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, said: “Dubai Women Establishment has an ongoing commitment to develop the skills and capabilities of female professionals through modern, scientific methods, which help them to grow on a personal and professional level. The two-day workshop is a highly interactive programme offering advanced tools to help participants develop effective leadership skills, keep up with evolving work environments, and increase their productivity and self-confidence in the workplace.” 

HE added: “The positive feedback we have received from this year's programme as well as previous editions has encouraged us to continue providing leadership development opportunities in the future.”

Moza Al Mansouri, Head of Human Resources Section at the General Secretariat of the Supreme Legislation Committee, who participated in the programme, was impressed with the ‘Leadership Skills from an Equestrian Perspective Advanced Program' training approach. She considers it one of the best self-development programmes organised for women's leadership development, due to its style of coaching, which relates equine leadership to leadership in the work environment in order to enhance problem-solving skills amongst employees. 

Another participant in the programme, Haifa Bin Rasheed, Head of Networks & Technical Support at the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, said: “This was a new experience for me, which I really enjoyed. The programme helped me to gain a better understanding of professional leadership.” 

Yolanda Sing, Founder of CHLOE Consultants, who led the programme, said: “Interacting with horses provides participants with key communications tools which can influence people more effectively, and offers a natural opportunity to overcome fear and gain self-confidence. The sessions feature learning experiences and activities which are linked to real-world life and work situations, allowing participants to learn more about how to deal with change, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence – all of which will support them in achieving leadership excellence going forward.”