(View original LinkedIn Post here)
I open the parcel package and see a shiny silver box inside. “I can’t believe he did it! I can’t believe he sent this to me!” In my 9-year-old mind, the box I’m about to open has inside of it the equivalent of the Hope Diamond.
What’s really inside? This:
The “he” I’m referring to is Secretariat’s caretaker at Claiborne Farms. The gift he’s given me is a horseshoe that was previously worn by Secretariat. He had to wait for it to fall off of his hoof before sending it to me. I’m beyond thrilled… beaming!
Secretariat: One of Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century
Just a few months earlier, I visited Claiborne to meet my lifelong hero in person. Perhaps my mom thought that if I met him in person, I might stop running around on all fours pretending to be Secretariat (unfortunately that didn’t stop until I was about 12).
At that time, 30+ years ago, Secretariat was the first horse to win the triple crown in 25 years and held the record for all three races. Today, he continues to hold all three records and is often referred to as one of the greatest athletes of all time. In fact, he’s in the racing Hall of Fame and in 1999 was the only non-human athlete to be included in ESPN’s 50 greatest athletes of the century.
I know that there are people today who feel uncomfortable with horse racing. I get it and it’s complicated. But as a child who grew up in Kentucky over 30 years ago, riding horses my whole childhood, what I knew is that we watched the Kentucky Derby every year, Secretariat was my hero, and he inspired me.
When I visited Claiborne, the caretaker took a liking to me, I think because it was obvious how deeply I admired Secretariat. I owned every book written about him and rattled off facts and statistics. But I had no idea the impact that meeting Big Red, as he was called as a nickname, would have on me to this day.
I wish I could remember the caretaker’s name so I can thank him now. He went above and beyond his duties by bringing Secretariat over with the halter so I could actually touch him, take a picture with him, and feed him. The offer to send me one of his horseshoes was atypical and very kind. As the caretaker brought over Big Red, I recall his incredible presence – he’s HUGE and a gloriously athletic looking animal, even several years into his retirement.
The caretaker shared stories with me about the horse’s affectionate and goofball personality. Big Red followed us along the fence as we walked by him. The caretaker gave me Life Saver candies to feed him, as they were his favorite. He licked them from my hand and nuzzled up against me.
Many think of thoroughbreds as being spirited, ego-filled and grandiose animals. Yet, as I stood next to this incredible athlete, the most extraordinary racehorse in the world, what I remember most to this day is his heart – his sweet, affectionate and playful nature.
When Secretariat died of laminitis in 1989, his necropsy revealed that his heart weighed 22 pounds – twice the size of a typical thoroughbred heart (and the largest the veterinarian had ever seen). Clearly, this physical anomaly contributed to his extraordinary capability as an athlete… but I believe it goes beyond that. We speak of the heart as the source of emotion, connection, and caring. Big Red had an exceptionally BIG heart. I wrote this message inside of the horseshoe box shortly after Secretariat’s passing:
Back then, I lost my hero – but I carry forward with me to this day his memory as a source of inspiration and an important lesson I learned about extraordinary performance and leadership.
The most extraordinary performers lead by example, with BIG heart and humility
Today, in my work, the topic of executive presence and influence often comes up, particularly for senior leaders who are women. Often, advice given includes increasing assertiveness (“Be louder! Take up more space!”), having more ego, and bringing more attention to one’s accomplishments.
Yet, this advice, while well-intentioned and perhaps helpful in some contexts, often rubs me the wrong way as a blanket statement. Must extraordinary performance and big ego go hand-in-hand? What about humility and kindness? What about leading by example rather than by will or force? My co-CEO Sandy Spataro wrote an inspiring article about just this topic, on the importance of courage and humility in leadership.
The lesson I learned from my hero years ago that I still carry with me today is:
True leadership and extraordinary performance goes hand-in-hand not with big ego, but with big heart – empathy, affection, humility and kindness.
A powerful engine of inspiration – mentors and heroes
In Dare to Inspire, we highlight heroes and mentors as a key inspiration engine (one of 18 we found in our research), a way that we can feel lifted up toward new possibilities and heightened confidence and courage.
The (human) leaders and heroes I admire the most are ones who can be great while also being humble and caring. In fact, all of the mentors I write or speak about as inspiration engines for me (i.e., Janet Patti, Bill Bornschein whom we write about in Dare to Inspire) are extraordinary at what they do all while having oversized hearts (rather than oversized egos).
I know that when I leave this earth, I want to be known to those around me as one who: performed well in my world of work and lived with a BIG heart. Secretariat taught me this lesson as a young child and it’s one that I carry with me today.
Who is a mentor or hero you can connect with or remind yourself of this week to give you an inspiration lift?
Activating and Sustaining Inspiration through Mentors and Heroes
How can Mentors and Heroes both activate and sustain inspiration over time?
Here’s one example: As a child, Secretariat inspired me to both ride horses and start my first business carving soap in the shape of horses and selling them door-to-door. Both of these required confidence and courage for a little girl – his strength and capability inspired me with the vision and confidence to pursue these meaningful goals.
Sustainable Inspiration
Secretariat helps me sustain inspiration in areas that call for me to be extraordinary, like him. Here’s how I continue to stay connected to this great hero of mine today:
- Every year at the KY Derby I re-watch his races. They are so moving to me that I often am moved to tears – he’s breathtaking to watch. I remember the day I met him and his sweetness.
- I keep his horse shoe in my office – it reminds me of the kindness of Secretariat’s caretaker in sending it to me. I feel special for having it and I smile every time I see it.
- Whenever I’m around horse lovers who I know will appreciate the story, I share my experience of meeting him. In retelling the story about my hero, I often feel myself sitting up higher, my confidence lifted from this memory.
