What Horses Taught Me

About Leading People

Everything I've learned training horses has made me a better HR executive, advisor, and coach.

Because horses have a way of exposing things people often hide.

They force you to:

• Improve your own skill gaps.

• Lead with fairness instead of ego.

• Communicate clearly and adapt to the situation.

• Earn trust and respect every single day.

• Stay calm under pressure.

• Be consistent—not just when it's easy, but especially when it's hard.

A 1,200-pound horse doesn't follow because of your title.

It follows because you've earned its confidence.

I've found the same is true in the workplace.

When I'm coaching CEOs through difficult employee conversations, helping managers improve performance, navigating conflict, or gaining employee buy-in for workplace policies, I'm applying many of the same leadership principles I learned in the saddle.

Whether I'm supporting a startup or a national organization, I combine more than 25 years of California HR expertise with lessons learned working alongside an animal that is stronger, bigger, faster, and often more perceptive than I am.

Both horses and people respond to leaders who:

• Set clear expectations.

• Listen with curiosity before reacting.

• Reward progress and recognize effort.

• Apply boundaries consistently and fairly.

• Lead by example.

• Build trust through consistency.

That's the kind of leadership I help my clients create.

When clients partner with Corporate Cowgirl, they aren't simply hiring an HR consultant.

They're gaining someone who helps them:

• Resolve complex employee relations issues.

• Navigate California employment laws with confidence.

• Reduce legal and financial risk.

• Build stronger managers.

• Create workplaces where accountability and respect can exist together.

• Spend less time putting out HR fires and more time growing their business.

Why "Corporate Cowgirl"?

Because every workplace has its herd.

• Some employees need encouragement or validation.

• Some need coaching.

• Some need boundaries

And yes...every once in a while, there's a bronco.

Unless safety/high risk is at stake, my job isn't to crack the whip.

It's to help leaders build workplaces where expectations are clear and people know how to succeed.

• Sometimes that requires firm conversations.

• Sometimes it requires empathy or validation.

• Sometimes it requires a healthy dose of humor.

I take HR seriously.

I just don't believe HR has to take itself so seriously. Great workplaces are built on accountability, respect, and creating a place where people actually enjoy showing up each day.

My clients appreciate that I bring practical California HR expertise together with authenticity, common sense, and just enough cowgirl spirit to make even the toughest conversations and CA Compliance feel manageable.

I'd love to help your business thrive.

Lisa Johnson, PHR
Corporate Cowgirl