Leader Dogs for the Blind is a charity founded in 1939 that helps blind and visually impaired people by providing guide dogs at no charge. The organization empowers clients with skills that enhance their independence as well.
One of the charity's newest offerings is their executive training program, which they started approximately five years ago. It came about when the organization looked at their clients in leadership positions and saw how successful they were.
These clients report applying the lessons they learned from their guide dogs to all aspects of their lives, including work and marriage. Hence, Leader Dogs for the Blind realized that other people could find these insights valuable as well.
According to Dave Bann, the program's corporate engagement manager, they spent a year drafting and finalizing the curriculum. Afterward, it came time to choose dogs who can qualify as “instructors.”
Leader Dogs trains roughly 400 Labrador, golden retriever, German Shepherd, and Lab-golden puppies every year. Ultimately, however, only around half of the pups pass their tests and become guide dogs.
Those who don't meet the requirements are termed “career changed” dogs. Some of them find work in another industry, while others are put up for adoption.
Bann's two-year-old Labrador Coco is one such dog, and she's now one of the Leader Dogs ambassadors. Besides promoting the charity, Coco's other tasks include participating in the executive training program.
The training consists of several sessions — blindfold walking with a dog, white-cane walking, and team building. In blindfold walking, the participants cover their eyes, tell the canine where they want to go, and then give up control.
Ginger Auten, a participant from Mitsubishi Motors, shares how blindfold walking helped her discover something vital. Leaders do have to be in charge, but they must also be willing to trust their subordinates' judgment.
Phil Bertolini, another participant, echoes this sentiment. He explains that relinquishing control was scary at first. However, Bertolini eventually realized that keeping the canine — and, by extension, his subordinates — on a tight leash means taking away their ability to help.
White-cane walking, meanwhile, opens the participants' eyes to the disadvantages of taking all the responsibility instead of trusting their team to handle their share. As the activity shows, they can still get around with their cane, but there's much they can't see.
The training cost can range from $300 to $400 for each individual, but past participants guarantee that the course is worth every cent. It helps them become better leaders, which translates to higher employee retention. Watch a preview of the program activities below:
Source: Leader Dogs for the Blind on YouTube and Detroit Free Press