I met Horace quite by accident one May evening while walking the beaches of Delaware Bay. I was "birdwatching"- and my purpose was to find the beautiful, yet endangered, Red Knot species on it's migratory stopover where it feeds on horseshoe crab eggs. I did find some of these lovely birds among many other species. But, my friends and I also found hundreds of horseshoe crabs stranded, stuck and tangled in manmade structures like bulkheads, twisted steel and commercial fishing line. The crabs were less than 40 feet from the waters edge - but they were permanently stuck and were dehydrating in the sun. They were left for dead - and it struck a nerve within me. So, what started out as a "walk in the park" (literally) turned into a "race against time" as we changed our plans. Out of the blue, we became unappointed and untrained crab flippers; the only skill we brought to the task was a willing and able heart. And, fortunately for me, I met a crab named Horace.

Horace is a fictious character that I have created to help me communicate delicate but critical issues, ideas or encouragement to my client leaders. Horace is simply a humble volunteer for Robert L. Rich, Jr. and he will emerge periodically (usually on a high tide) to help me make a point, add some humor or scratch an itch. Be aware, Horace is somewhat "hard to love" as he is often moody, quiet, edgy, focused, intense and sometimes aloof. But he also brings strengths as he is loyal, consistent, pointed, trustworthy, committed and at times - even witty. So look for him on emails, letters, power points and more.

So, how does a horseshoe crab named Horace relate to my client work at Robert L. Rich, Jr? The answer... in many ways - I see many similarities between the life of a leader and the journey of a horseshoe crab. In my consulting work, I sometimes work with leaders that have become situationally "stuck" at their work which, left unattended, often spills into their personal, community, family and health balance as well. Like these stranded crabs, I encounter these leaders that are temporarily mired in their own rut, cycle, pattern, etc. or have fatigued or frustrated themselves (or their teams) attempting to right their own ship. But, unlike Horace, my clients can take proactive steps to get themselves back on track - and many of them do. I like working with leaders that ask for help, receive wise counsel from others, and take action to stay on offense. My role, with many leaders, is primarily to listen, reflect their words back to them, and /or give them an occasional nudge (or flip) as needed. Sometimes, my client leaders simply need my strengthening voice.