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The Price of Loyalty
A Japanese proverb reads “Wisdom and virtue are like the two wheels of a cart.” Since this line was written several centuries ago, we could probably modernize it by adding, “with loyalty being its motor.”
There is something to be said for being loyal. I’m not talking about blind, unquestioning loyalty like that of a Golden Retriever. No, I am talking about the sense of loyalty that comes from within. You know what I’m talking about. This is the feeling that you get when you are in the decision-making mode. It’s not like a scorecard or a calculator, adding and subtracting good and bad deeds until you come up with a positive or negative result. This is more of a feeling of kinship that has been developed over the years in either a business or personal relationship.
Loyalty is not a commodity. It can’t be traded, spent or eaten. It’s not something that most people even think about that often. But it may be of greater value than money or any other material possession. When I talk to many trainers and owners about their relationships, both business and personal, the subject of loyalty is one of the first things that is brought up. And let me tell you this: trainers value loyal clients and clients value loyal trainers. It’s as simple as that.
I have had the pleasure of chatting with people who have been in the horse industry for 20, 30, 40 or more years and have had a longstanding relationship with a few trainers. I’ve also talked to their trainers and you know what? They wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their relationship with their clients. These people see their clients as family and the last thing they want is to see them leave their barn. I’ve known trainers who have turned down new clients out of loyalty to their long-term customers who they want to keep around forever, if possible. This is a hard concept to understand in today’s fast-paced, take-what-you-can-when-you-can world.
Furthermore, the clients and customers feel the same way. They not only like their trainers and their families, they love them. Their loyalty runs deep and true and the last thing they want to do is make a change. All they want is to have their loyalty reciprocated.
They want to know that these people are always working in their best interest. They want to feel that there is no question about the job they are doing for them. They want to be happy writing that big check every month. And conversely, the trainers want to know that their clients are happy with the job they are doing and they are not moving the horse(s) when the first little problem arises.
And it’s all so easy. There’s an old saying, “You gotta leave the dance with them that brung ya.” Boy, is that ever the truth. The worst thing you can do is forget the people who helped get you to wherever you are today. The moment you do that, you are doomed. It is so very important to be loyal to the folks that gave you a chance. Not Golden Retriever loyal, but loyal nonetheless. Once you break that rule, that bond, that oath, well, my friend, you’re history.
