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LEADERSHIP PODCAST
podcast notes Donna Brothers COO of Starlight Racing, co-owner of Justify
Donna Barton Brothers was born into horse racing. As “Donna Barton”, Barton rode races from 1987 to 1998 and retired in 1998 as the second leading female jockey in the United States by money earned. She won 1,130 races.
In 1999, she began commentating for television coverage of horse racing and in 2000 covered the Breeders’ Cup Championships for NBC Sports. She has covered Horse Racing, Show Jumping, Bull Riding and other horse sports for NBC and NBCSN since 2000 and, during that time, has covered 18 Kentucky Derbies and, memorably, the Triple Crown captured by American Pharoah in 2015. Brothers is also an author and wrote Inside Track: Insider’s Guide to Horse Racing in 2011.
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1 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna’s mother was a huge in uence in her life. Before the age of 19, her mother was a trick rider on the rodeo circuit, an exhibition bull rider, a card dealer in Las Vegas, and a semi-truck driver. And she eventually became one of the rst female jockeys.
Growing up, Donna never saw any excuses for not succeeding. If she got in trouble for something, her mother always blamed her instead of others. Donna’s mother taught her responsibility.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Donna started her career as a jockey in 1987. Even though it is a male-dominated sport, she never felt discriminated against. With her mom being the leading female jockey in the nation, she never believed or gave discrimination a voice.
Growing up, who did you look up to and why?
Donna chose not to give discrimination a voice in her life. How do you think that decision in uenced her career?
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2 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna remembers getting bucked o a horse when she was about four years old. She has a scar on upper lip and eye to prove it.
Donna never intended to be a jockey. She wanted to go to college after high school, and planned to take care of horses to earn money for her tuition. But after a lot of prodding from her agent, she agreed to ride one race, just to rule it out as a career choice. It turned out to be the most exciting thing she’d ever done-and the most challenging. She went for it and never looked back.
Have you ever gotten excited about something you thought you weren’t interested in?
Do you prefer activities that challenge you? Why or why not?
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3 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
At rst Donna wasn’t sure if she wanted to become a jockey because her mother was the leading female rider in the world and she didn’t think she could be as successful as her.
Her mother used to say, “It doesn’t matter what you do for a living as long as you are the best at it.” Donna didn’t want to be a jockey if she couldn’t live up to the values her mother instilled in her.
What values were you taught as a child? How do they in uence you?
What happens when leaders strive to be the best in their eld?
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4 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
When it comes to horse racing, women jockeys are on equal terms with male jockeys. It helps that there is the weight assignment. Jockeys don’t want to weigh more than 112 pounds, that’s why women can ride on equal footing with men.
However, Donna realized in her rst two months of riding that she wasn’t as strong as her competitors. She was naturally lightweight but wanted to bulk up. She began by learning how to trick her body to turn what she ate into muscle rather than fat. It took about a year, but she worked hard to make sure she was as strong as the male jockeys.
As a leader, do you think it’s important to match your competitors’ strengths?
What practices have you developed to ensure you keep an equal par with your colleagues and competitors?
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5 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
There is much to be learned from horse riding in regards to leading a team. Donna describes jockeying as being like a general where the horse is the entire army. Skills like speed, strength, stamina are important in horses. But the most important skill for a horse to have is communication. Some horses are much better at communication than others.
Donna once rode a horse that communicated by icking its ears. The horse would pin his ears at back whenever she touched his neck because he didn’t like it. Donna listened to this piece of communication and managed to ride without touching his neck. They won the race at 20:1 odds.
How does an organization bene t when its leaders listen to and make adjustments for their team?
Are you good at picking up cues from your team or is this something you could grow in?
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6 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
In some ways understanding how to motivate an employee is like understanding how to motivate a horse. Some horses can’t stand to be touched with a whip and other horses won’t move without it. In the same way, people have di erent traits; for example, some can be sensitive while others aren’t.
When Donna would work with the horses, she already knew they really wanted to run and compete, she just needed to learn the best way to encourage them. This was especially true when she dealt with a horse that was a good leader. The hardest thing was guring out how to get out of the horse’s way so it could navigate.
How important is it for a leader to know what motivates their team?
Make a list of your team members and write the best way to encourage them. Who on your team works best with a gentle approach? Who needs you to let them navigate with more independence? Who excels with blunt feedback?
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7 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna recalls the rst time she met Wayne Lucas, the phenomenal leader and horseman. He is very respected in horse racing circles and known for being very intuitive, and Donna wanted to build a relationship with him.
She had just won three races on the opening day of a race at Keeneland. The next day, she went to his o ce and said, “I won three races yesterday, and I’m pretty sure you want to meet me.” From that point, she would visit his barn day after day and talk to him about his horses. Then, one day, his jockey didn’t show and Donna o ered to ride. When Wayne saw what she could do, they kept working together.
Have you ever been as bold as Donna?
Building partnerships is a great way to open doors. Who can you aim to build a partnership with?
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8 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna had been working with Wayne Lucas for nearly three years when he asked her to talk to the media. He gave her the following advice:
• Know your message before you go out there. • Don’t talk to the media, talk through the media.
Donna decided in advance what points to convey to the media before she ever talked to them. That way, she got the message she wanted out there.
How can you apply Wayne’s advice to your own leadership?
What can you plan today that will help you tomorrow?
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9 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
In horse racing, if you want to succeed, you have to establish credibility. Everything is by word of mouth and rarely are contracts signed. Giving your word is a serious matter, and it has to be reliable. Your reputation has to be impeccable.
What happens when a leader loses his credibility?
What have you done to establish a good reputation? Does the process ever stop?
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10 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Before becoming a COO, Donna only had two jobs: racing and reporting. Neither one of those are team sports, so Donna never had to develop a team or try to motivate employees. When she went into the COO role, she had to learn how to run a team.
She became the person who united the boss and his employees, who brought everyone together and got them on the same page. It was challenging, but she enjoyed it.
In your opinion, is leadership a natural quality or can it be learned?
Think of a time when your responsibilities were out of your comfort zone. How did that help you grow?
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11 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna’s mother taught her to be the best, but there was a point in her reporting career where she thought she’d failed. She didn’t feel like the best broadcaster in the industry. It wasn’t until her sister pointed out that there had never been a better reporter on horseback that Donna realized she was in her niche.
Donna says, “While I might not be Bob Costas, Bob Costas will never be Donna Barton Brothers.” The fact that she can report while on horseback gives her a distinct advantage that others don’t have.
What special distinctions do you have that give you an advantage?
How can you develop your niche?
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12 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Key Points
Donna gives the following advice for aspiring leaders:
• Work on your leadership, whether it’s reading books, taking courses, or attending conferences. • Lead by example. People may not remember what you said, but they will certainly remember what you did. • Work hard.
Which of these resonates with you most?
Think of a leader who led by example? What important lesson did they teach you?
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13 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Podcast Refl ection Questions
Review what you learned from Donna Brothers and answer these questions.
1. What is your biggest learning from Donna Brothers?
2. What is one action you can take to become a better leader based on her wisdom?
3. Complete the action plan on the next page.
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14 TM
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
Action Plan
What am I going to do? By When?
Date Completed
What am I going to do? By When?
Date Completed
What am I going to do? By When?
Date Completed
How will this action make a positive impact on your leadership? On others?
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