Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Logan Bennett, President of the Alberta Avalanche Rescue Dog Association, for The Making Magnificence Project®.  Logan is a ski patroller in the Canadian Rockies.  Part of his work is avalanche mitigation, creating controlled avalanches to make the slopes safer for skiers.  The other part is what he does with his dog Ferra, going out after an unexpected avalanche to search for buried skiers.  They work independently and in tandem, she searching and indicating to him.  He watching and reading her.  It’s crucial that they understand each other.

Not surprisingly, it takes more than two years to train and prepare a dog for validation and certification, the process that confirms that a dog and its handler are ready to do the work, ready to clear an area and report that no one has been buried.  Or left.

In our interview, Logan and I talk about trust and partnership, about leadership and knowing those whom you lead, about responsibility and uncertainty.  About miscalculations and what leaders can learn from them.

You’ll be able to read more about this dynamic duo in my forthcoming book on Magnificent Leadership™ due out this fall.

In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about AARDA and Logan and Ferra, you can go here or reach Logan at aarda.ab@gmail.com