The story of how one Warwickshire business pivoted from providing experiential learning with a herd of horses to an online masterclass is an inspiring example of how businesses are adapting at lightning speed to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jude Jennison is founder of Leaders by Nature, a successful business helping senior leadership teams align through disruptive change. Author of the book Leading through uncertainty, she has an unusual team in the form of a herd of horses who help leaders and teams be more effective through change.
Sound crazy? Maybe. But as Jude explains: “Horses respond based on your non-verbal behaviour so clients quickly identify their default patterns out of their comfort zone and out of their normal environment.”
With blue-chip businesses, as well as smaller local clients, raving over her work, Jude has built a rapidly growing business and was set to double her turnover this year. Since Jude’s clients can no longer come to the field, she needed to pivot quickly to secure the future of the horses.
“My team can’t be furloughed because they have four legs. If the business fails, I could lose my horses,” explains Jude. “They are my highest overhead in the business. There are no government initiatives that help me financially. I’m one of those small businesses that has fallen between the cracks and I’ve come too far to let everything fall away. As soon as clients pulled work, I knew I needed to generate income fast or I’d have to make the almost impossible decision to put my horses to sleep.”
The prospect was so awful that Jude spurred into action. As an entrepreneur on the Natwest Entrepreneurs Accelerator programme, she got straight on the phone to her Natwest coach, Josh Winfield, and they brainstormed a plan to future proof her business and save the lives of the horses.
A former senior leader in IBM, Jude previously managed a budget of $1 billion. She’s no stranger to leading through a crisis and draws on her extensive corporate leadership experience combined with her coaching skills to help leaders and teams communicate more effectively.
“The numbers in my business are much smaller,” Jude joked, “but the stakes are much higher. I’m talking about saving the lives of my horses by pivoting quickly.” Jude understands how emotion can enhance or derail performance. Jude has adapted quickly to the change created by lockdown and is helping leaders and teams do the same in their businesses.
For more information on Leading through uncertainty online masterclasses and online team coaching, contact Jude at www.judejennison.com or email: jude@judejennison.com
