If you’ve spent some time around horse racing, you probably realized that the horse might be the one crossing the finish line, but it never wins alone. In fact, for a horse to win a race, especially big ones like the Kentucky Derby, there is a whole team behind every victory. We are talking about jockeys, trainers, vets, analysts, owners, and let’s not forget the never-tiring stable hands.
The goal here is for everyone to work together, and if they don’t, everything starts to fall apart, no matter the horse’s potential.
Does this remind you of something? It’s not much different from how successful teams operate in business, right?
Maybe most leaders love to talk about productivity and KPIs, but they often forget that the real performance and numbers come from how well a team moves as a unit. Since horse racing has been around for hundreds of years, maybe business leaders can learn a thing or two about managing teams in the corporate world.
Every Role Matters, Even the Ones No One Sees
Yes, in horse racing, the horse and the jockey usually get the spotlight. They are the ones that everyone talks about just because they are the face of the victory. But if the trainer wasn’t preparing the horse correctly, and the vet didn’t catch a small issue early, the race win wouldn’t be possible.
So, even though all you see is the rider and the horse on the race day, dozens of invisible jobs decide the outcome before the gates even open. Even the horse racing bettors play their role in the industry, just because it wasn’t for them, horse racing would cease to exist. Therefore, if you are a horse racing bettor who is constantly browsing horse racing betting websites, you also contribute to the horse racing industry.
Let’s connect this to the business world, since it works the same way. Leaders often praise the people with the most visible roles (sales, marketing, management), and they forget about the quiet work that’s happening behind the scenes. But the funny thing is that nobody notices these mediocre roles until something breaks.
The support staff who keep everything moving, the analysts who spot problems before they become big issues, and the people who fix things or do their job without announcing it (raise a hand if this is you), are also crucial to the overall success of the company.
So, just like in horse racing, business leaders should respect every role in the company.
Clear Communication Creates Confidence
Do you really think that a horse would win a race if there were no communication? The trainer is responsible for getting the most out of the horse, but the jockey’s feedback is very important for him. In other words, clear communication can improve the horse’s performance and achieve better results.
The owner, on the other hand, can’t make decisions if they don’t know what the team is seeing on the ground. So, everything depends on simple, honest, clear, and consistent communication, just like in business.
In the corporate world, teams tend to crumble because people assume others “should know” what’s going on. Leaders don’t understand that feedback can make work more meaningful. They are not communicating things clearly, which raises confusion. In such moments, instead of feedback, you get silence, and this is really dangerous.
If a jockey doesn’t know the game play, the entire race strategy collapses, and the same thing goes for people working together in the business world.
Pressure Is Inevitable
Horse racing is a sport that defines the word “pressure”. There is no getting away from that. Everyone has something to lose, and there is no doubt that the jockey, the trainer, and the owner feel it.
But it’s not about the pressure; it’s more about how the teams handle it. It is the thing that decides whether teams stay together or fall apart.
Businesses work the same way. There is constant pressure from customers, business partners, shareholders, product launches, tight deadlines, and financial targets. But this should be something that pushes the team towards victory, not something where everything starts to fall apart.
Business leaders should learn a thing or two about managing pressure from people in the horse racing industry.
Continuous Improvement Is The Key
If you ask someone in horse racing whether the jockey or the horse is ready for the race, you’d probably receive a big “no.” Why is that? Well, people in the horse racing industry are all about continuous improvement. There is no such thing as perfection in this sport. Everyone knows they can do better, which is why they improve all the time.
This is a good strategy for business leaders to try to implement in the corporate world. A jockey reviews the replay of a big race win just so they can see what they could’ve done smoother.
So, as a business leader, try to make “continuous improvement” a habit in your company culture, but make sure to praise good results.
Trust Isn’t a Motivational Word
A horse doesn’t run its best if it doesn’t trust the people around it. The jockey needs to trust the trainer. The trainer needs to trust the stable staff. Owners need to trust everyone. When trust is missing, everything feels tense, rushed, and uncertain. Have you worked in a place where nobody trusted each other? It feels terrible.
Workplaces feel the same way. When trust exists, people share ideas faster, solve problems sooner, ask for help earlier, and admit mistakes before they grow. When trust doesn’t exist, teams move slowly, hide issues, and play it safe. Nothing innovative comes from that environment.
In racing, trust is built through consistency and clarity. In business, it’s built the same way.
Who knew that there was so much stuff that a business leader can learn from horse racing, right? So, if you want your company to have a lifespan like horse racing, maybe you should start implementing some of these strategies.