Learning and Leading with Riders and Elephants
Halfway through my Elephant Rider journey with Riders & Elephants, I’m struck by how much this experience is reshaping not just my approach to leadership, but my entire perspective on what makes organisations thrive. Using the Emotional Culture Deck (ECD) and the suite of canvases developed by Riders & Elephants, I’m learning how to help organisations—and myself—redefine culture, leadership, and impact in ways that are both practical and deeply human.
Why I Chose the Elephant Rider Path
I started this journey because I wanted to move beyond traditional leadership models and help teams unlock their true potential. The promise of becoming an “Elephant Rider” wasn’t just about mastering a tool—it was about mastering the art of emotional culture, which research shows is central to employee satisfaction, teamwork, and overall organisational success.
The Emotional Culture Deck: A Game-Changer
The ECD is deceptively simple: a deck of cards that gives voice to emotions, making it easier for people to articulate how they feel and how those feelings shape their work. In our workshops, we use the deck to surface what people want to feel at work, what they don’t want to feel, and what behaviours support or undermine those emotions. This process sparks honest conversations, builds empathy, and creates a shared language for culture—a foundation for trust and collaboration.
The Power of the Canvases
Alongside the deck, the Emotional Culture Canvas provides a visual, collaborative way for teams to map out their emotional culture. We use it to:
- Identify the emotions we want to encourage (and those we want to avoid)
- Translate those emotions into daily behaviours and rituals
- Create action plans using frameworks like Kill/Create/Change/Keep to refine practices
Through my studies and application I have seen by the end of a coaching session, teams have a clear, actionable strategy for building a positive emotional culture—one that supports well-being, reduces conflict, and attracts great talent. Even teams and leaders that openly state they “do not do emotions” those that you may perceive as the most emotionally adverse find the exploration insightful, achieving more in one session then they have in months.
What I’m Learning (So Far)
The journey is as much about personal growth as it is about organisational change. I’ve become more aware of my own emotional drivers and triggers, which has made me a more empathetic and effective facilitator. The ECD has given me tools to manage self-doubt and embrace vulnerability—a key to authentic leadership. Opening up about my own experiences has encouraged others to do the same. This vulnerability builds trust and leads to richer, more meaningful conversations—something that’s echoed by other Elephant Riders.
No two teams are the same, and the ECD’s flexibility means I can tailor sessions to suit different groups, industries, and challenges. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with new ways to use the deck and canvas, even developing custom exercises for unique situations. The most rewarding moments come when teams realise that culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s something they can shape, together, through shared understanding and intentional action. I’ve seen teams move from surface-level discussions to deep, transformative insights about what matters most to them.
Doubling Organisational Benefit is a key objective of my work. Research *conducted by Sigal Barsade and Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill talks about the importance of organisations and leaders combining how employee’s think, feel, and behave. By focusing on emotional culture, organisations see tangible benefits: higher engagement, reduced burnout, stronger teamwork, and improved performance. Leaders are discovering that by prioritising how people feel, they can drive both well-being and results—doubling their positive impact.
What’s Next
I’m only just over halfway through my Elephant Rider journey, but already I feel equipped with new skills, deeper insights, and a growing community of like-minded changemakers. I’m excited to continue learning, experimenting, and helping organisations re-humanise their workplaces—one conversation, one emotion, one team at a time.
The final stage of the programme we focus on how we develop others (leaders, consultants HR and Organisational Development and Design professionals to become certified Elephant Riders enabling them to support their organisations to be more emotionally intelligent. Crafting the culture they need for themselves, their employees, customers, partners, and stakeholders.
If you’re curious about how emotional culture could transform your organisation and ‘Help Your People to be Brilliant’, I highly recommend exploring the Emotional Culture Deck and the Elephant Rider path. The journey is challenging, but the rewards—for yourself and those you lead—are profound.
Helping People to Be Brilliant – one conversation, one emotion, one team at a time.