The shepherd leader can be described as a leader that incorporates a servant style of leadership. Being a shepherd leader involves a whole-person leadership that goes beyond thinking and doing things in a certain way. It is an integrated part of someone’s life and it can be described as a matter of the head, hand, and heart. Shepherd leadership can thus be described as a way of thinking, doing, and being and is based on Psalm 23 (White et al., 2015). The shepherd leader should understand what it means to undertake shepherd thinking and shepherd doing. This paper compares and contrasts what shepherd thinking and shepherd doing is and provides examples of the two.
Shepherd thinking involves the leader thinking alone by themselves while shepherd doing is done with others. Thinking is thus something that the shepherd leader should do it alone. One of the critical traits of the shepherd leader is mental agility which involves a quick thinking and decision-making quickly. Agility would require that the shepherd leader take part in the thinking by themselves. However, doing involves the shepherd leader being out there with others among the sheep and taking care of their needs. The shepherd leader should also be busy doing things for their followers and it will involve being involved with the activities of their followers. An example of how thinking is done alone and doing is done with others involves allocating funds for a project. The shepherd leader will be required to think about the right amount of fund allocation. However, the execution of the project will require that the shepherd leader involve the all members of the team.
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Shepherd thinking involves looking ahead while shepherd doing involves being present with the sheep. Shepherd thinking involves looking at the future in order to identify the right path. However, when acting out their leadership, they have to be very present with the sheep. This shows that shepherding is not a remote style of leadership but one that is in touch with the sheep. Shepherd leaders are thus not expected to provide orders and memos from their office, instead they are expected to go out the field. An example of shepherd thinking about the future involves making a strategic plan for a project. The shepherd leader is expected to always strategize about the future progress of the company. However, the shepherd leader should understand that strategizing is not simply about thinking of the future, the shepherd leader should also be a doer and be involved with the daily undertakings of the team members and followers.
Shepherd thinking involves listening to the needs of one’s followers while shepherd doing involves actually meeting the needs of followers. The leader should undertake shepherd thinking by listening to the needs of their flock. One should be engaged in considering the responsibilities of the shepherd leader. They may be up early in order to find time to think about the needs of their followers. The leaders would also take time so as to listen to the needs and the problems of their flock and engage with them in an authentic manner (Whittington, 2015). On the other hand, shepherd doing will involve actually meeting the needs of one’s followers. The leader may keep a continuous eye on the flock and ensure that they actually meet the needs of the flock. For instance, in any organization, the shepherd leader would take time to actually listen to the problems of their followers. Shepherd thinking would involve listening to the problems about followers and thinking about how they can be solved. Shepherd doing will then follow when the leader actually meets the needs of the followers.
Shepherd thinking involves thinking about the immortality of the soul while shepherd doing involves creating a workplace that meets the spiritual needs of followers. The shepherd leader would be involved in thinking by first learning to view oneself and others through the view of an immortal soul. One should understand that they live in a material world and a spiritual world at the same time (Lee, 2015). After thinking, the shepherd leader should actually create a workplace environment that considers the immortality needs of followers. An example is Chili’s restaurant in Waco which puts into consideration the spiritual needs of its workforce. The organization undertakes corporate philanthropy and does not open on Sundays as it is a day among Christians recognized for worship.
One of the similarities between shepherd thinking and shepherd leading is that it puts the needs and concerns of the followers first. The two thus involve thinking and doing things on behalf of the followers. The needs of the leader can be put aside and the leader would focus on the needs of the followers. Thinking thus involves taking time to think about follower needs and whether they have been met and doing involves putting in actions that ensures the needs of followers are met. This shows that shepherd leadership is customer-focused.
In conclusion, shepherd leadership involves doing and thinking which guide the leader as they deal with the follower. While shepherd thinking involves being alone, shepherd doing involves being present with one’s followers. Shepherd thinking also considers the future while shepherd doing involves being present. Shepherd thinking involves listening to the needs of followers while shepherd doing involves actually meeting those needs. Both shepherd thinking and doing are similar because it requires the leader to be present.
References
Lee, W. J. (2015). Conclusion: Led by the Spirit, Leading by the Spirit—A Biblical Perspective on Spiritual Leadership. In Biblical Perspectives on Leadership and Organizations (pp. 201-206). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
White, D., Roy, N., Leader, W., & Parker, M. (2015). Psalms. the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible , 367-98.
Whittington, J. L. (2015). Shepherds and Servants: Models of Authentic Engagement. In Biblical Perspectives on Leadership and Organizations (pp. 123-150). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
