They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Faithful readers of Peak Years know that I don’t buy into this notion. Sure, it can be harder to learn as we get older. But can’t? No way.
I thought of the old dog trope recently while watching the terrific new Netflix documentary, Inside the Mind of a Dog. Even if you don’t believe old dogs are capable of learning much, it’s clear from this film that there are a number of tricks dogs of all ages can teach us.
This realization will come as a surprise to those who know me well. I was never a huge dog person, probably because I didn’t have one as a kid. There is a difference, I think, between people who grow up with dogs versus those who come to love them later in life. Unlike my wife and kids, I’m not a “dog-lifer.” If they didn’t lobby to get our first puppy, we never would have gotten one.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved both our dogs. Our first dog and our current one have been integral, irreplaceable parts of so many wonderful family memories. But, truth be told, owning dogs for me was more about the joy they brought the rest of my family. In fact, I looked at dogs as lovable, faithful companions, but not particularly bright or interesting as far as animals go.
Inside the Mind of a Dog made me realize how much I underestimated them.
First of all, in evolutionary terms dogs are the ultimate, bad-ass, out-of-the-box thinkers. Rather than adhere to the Darwinian notion of “survival of the fittest,” dogs went in a different direction. Tens of thousands of years ago a group of wolves realized that establishing bonds with their most dangerous predators, humans, as opposed to being hostile was a better path to survival. It was a radical move. An example of bold marketplace differentiation that worked like a charm.
One of the more fascinating parts of this unique evolutionary strategy is how the earliest dogs developed muscles in their faces and eyes to mimic human expression. Generations of dogs sat around the campfire or inside a cave, closely watching how humans interact with each other. They saw how we talked, laughed, and smiled. How our faces expressed a variety of emotions. And they learned, adapted and imitated.
We can easily attach human emotions and relate to dogs in distinct ways from other animals because of their expressive faces. It’s why today so many of us are suckers for puppy dog eyes or the longing gaze of a dog who wants attention.
Dogs survived and thrived because they approached integrating themselves with humans with an open mind. The earliest dogs realized they could better become part of, and ultimately influence, human culture by getting to know us first. They were humble and willing to change.
Dogs learned that approaching ancient humans aggressively or in a threatening manner was a short-term strategy. It might get them fed once or twice, but ultimately it would turn us against them, an outcome that would be fatal. They were willing to adapt in pursuit of their long-term goal.
There’s a valuable lesson here for any professional walking into a new job, especially if it’s a leadership role. Building rapport and establishing trust are among the hardest things for any of us to do.
It’s so easy, especially for executives who are excited about a new role, to attack it with a full head of steam, certain they have the answers and know what needs to be fixed. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with bringing passion, ideas and a clear point of view to any job. Those who’ve worked with me know that’s always been my approach. But no meaningful change can come without first establishing trust.
The way to build trust is to first seek to understand why things are the way they are. Give the culture the respect it deserves, even if you’re convinced changes need to be made. At the same time, be humble enough to accept that you may not have all the answers.
For dogs forging connections is a full-contact sport. They engage all their senses, none more so than their noses. Dogs experience the world first and foremost through scent. They can literally smell emotional states, even illness. Their powerful noses were critical to their evolution.
Humans aren’t blessed with a dog’s nose, which is probably a good thing because HR would have something to say if we started smelling colleagues or sniffing our way through meetings. The old saying about having two ears and one mouth comes to mind. The best way for us to “sniff out” a new situation is to listen more and talk less.
You can, of course, just issue orders and offer suggestions, certain of your convictions. There is something to be said for leaders projecting confidence and assertiveness. But to do so without first earning the trust of the people you want to lead likely will get you nothing better than “malicious compliance.”
Your new colleagues will smile and nod when you tell them what to do, but behind the scenes they dismiss or ignore what you say. Or worse, they stop giving a shit and do as little work as possible. I doubt the dog sitting at my feet right now as I write would be here if the earliest canines approached humans that way.
Even if you don’t fully buy into the idea of dogs’ genius for integration and adaptation, I think very few people would question their loyalty. They’ve been called “man’s best friend” for good reason. It’s hard to find another creature that personifies unwavering loyalty better than a dog.
Part and parcel of loyalty is a persistent willingness to forgive and put the needs of others first. A dog’s loyalty, to me, is a profound display of emotional courage. It takes a lot of guts to forgive and put aside one’s own feelings in the interest of another, especially if we feel we’ve been wronged or treated unfairly. Dogs do this every day, without regard to the cost.
The cynic can argue that this is just a part of the act that gets a dog fed. Sadly, a similar cynicism permeates so many of our corporate cultures these days. Mantras about loyalty and being people-first are usually nothing more than lip service or window dressing for the corporate value statements that hang in the hallways. All the evidence one needs is the carnage of the media business in the past five years.
To be clear, I’m as much a capitalist as the next person, so I’m not suggesting that one should go to work looking for unconditional love, or dog-type loyalty. The primary purpose of companies is to make money and deliver a return to investors. But that isn’t the ONLY reason they exist. Companies are made up of humans.
CEOs and boards too often talk about employees being their most important asset but when push comes to shove they prioritize profits and productivity at the expense of people. You see it when the time comes to make layoffs and people are exited with little notice and crappy packages. If the human beings who ran these companies had the emotional courage of dogs I think many of the bad outcomes we’ve seen the past few years would have unfolded differently.
Having said that, it’s important to remember that the leaders making these decisions are people too. It’s so easy and tempting to vilify the boss. But often there are factors behind unpopular decisions that employees aren’t aware of. Even if we believe a boss richly deserves our scorn, we can learn from dogs. There is so much more to be gained long term by approaching difficult situations with understanding, and a spirt of forgiveness.
Now more than ever, with the world changing so quickly every day, it’s critical that we cultivate a mindset of learning and humility as well as a willingness to adapt. As it turns out, some of the best role models for professional success are our lovable and loyal dogs. They figured out this stuff a long time ago and we’re still trying to catch up.
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