21 Jan THREE THINGS OUR DOG HULA TAUGHT ME ABOUT LEADERSHIP

• LISTENING:  She made us feel heard by an intense stare or head twist even though she couldn’t verbally communicate. Her rule of paw was to listen more than she barked. After listening for a long time, Hula’s recommendation to relieve stress was a long walk or a good nap. Both worked wonders.
• LOYALTY:  The essence of teamwork is trust … the byproduct of trust of loyalty … with shared loyalty teammates are willing to sacrifice for others to achieve a common goal. Whether rich or poor, healthy or ill, successful or not, the one constant we could count on since 2014 was having Hula exuberantly welcome us home everyday. When it came to the goal of safety: Hula was willing to do whatever it took to guard us from skateboarders, firetrucks or a the brushes in our local drive-through car wash. We always escaped safely thanks to her overwatch.  She was at her best in 2015 when I was on the ropes as a Stage IV Bone Marrow Cancer patient going through High Dose Chemo Therapy and a Stem Cell Transplant … it was then Hula instinctively stayed by my side for months
• PREPARATION:  The night before any of my Temporary Duty travels I could count on Hula jumping into my suitcase to help tamp down the clothes (although I suspected she was really volunteering to be my travel buddy). The only time her assistance backfired was one rainy night when I’d later discover in Tokyo that I had muddy paw prints on my white uniform shirt! 

• POSITIVE ATTITUDE:  Her actions ensured we checked our work troubles at the door and started afresh for our time together. Hula’s hugging, jumping and licking were great tools to recalibrate our attitude. I wouldn’t recommend that combo for humans at the workplace; however, the principle of starting each day anew apples.
• FORGIVENESS:  Every now and then I would accidentally step on Hula’s paw which caused her to yelp. On rare occasions we scolded her for bad behavior which caused a shameful retreat. Hula took those in stride and never held a grudge. We could always count on her putting it behind and returning to her lovable self.
• ADAPTABILITY:  A native Hawaiian, Hula preferred the sun to the snow but never complained about moves to Maryland and Virginia. Rather than whine about what was left behind, she focused on what was new and what lay ahead. This quickly endeared her to new neighbors, groomers and Veterinarians.

• TIRELESS THINKING:  As a puppy she would repeatedly plot and implement escape options from our plans to keep her in one section of the house. One time she broke free by using her then-five pound body to shoulder a swinging wooden door reinforced by thirty pounds of soda cases. As an adult she perfected a stealthy approach to any open refrigerator that would be the envy of a lioness stalking the savanna.
• RELENTLESS PURSUIT:  In Honolulu and Tampa there were plenty of small wildlife options to discover and chase down. Most were faster than Hula. On occasion she would catch or corner one, but never had the disposition to do it any harm after the chase and let them go.  
• DISCIPLINE:  Whether it was her morning walk or 5:00 PM internal dinner alarm clock, regular patterns were part of Hula’s DNA. Adhering to routines help train her thoughts, actions and character.