Achievements define leaders. When talking of leadership, most people think of traits and characters and, as a result, tend to believe that leaders are born and not made. However, leaders can be made or trained. One can be mentored into leadership and grow successful at leading people due to the accomplishments attained. Leaders do not need only to issue instructions to their followers or team members, but act and set examples by working along with them or serve them to encourage teamwork. Good leaders have both leadership and management skills to handle people as well as diverse situations. One can opt to be first a servant afterward, a leader, or be both at the same time to attract followers and guide them well. This paper focuses on comparing and contrasting shepherd thinking and shepherd doing.
Shepherd leadership is a form of thinking whereby the shepherded plays a role of thinking for its followers to guide them. As a result, the shepherd leader has to think ahead and act fast; switch quickly amid the two modes (McCormick & Davenport, 2003, p. 5). In so doing, the shepherd ensures that the followers are on track. For instance, historically, a shepherd’s role is to look after a herd of sheep to ensure they feed well and protect them from any impending danger. In such a scenario, suppose a shepherd notices an imminent danger while out in the fields, he has obligations to drive the herd into a different direction to protect them. On the contrary, while the shepherd is on the responsibility mode, one is out in the field with the herd taking care of them, doing everything for them, thus ensuring progress and success (McCormick & Davenport, 2003, p. 6). Leaders should, therefore, place the needs of others ahead of theirs (Fiaz et al., 2017, p. 144). In other words, shepherd leaders are always out amidst their followers, watching, managing, and meeting their needs.
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Employees have needs that should be addressed to ensure employee satisfaction, thus leading to a high turnover rate. Shepherd's thinking states that it is essential to learn of the needs of followers and think of how to meet them to show concern. Shepherd leaders should then think of ways they can assess their followers' needs at an individual or corporate level. For instance, David, a shepherd leader, always thought of the needs of his staff to maintain a good relationship between the top leaders and other personnel. Therefore, he, at times, took a one-on-one talk to understand the individual needs (McCormick & Davenport, 2003, p. 15). Such actions proved to the organization that he is worth his position as a leader. Thinking of how to meet the needs of followers cannot be enough. Therefore, a shepherd leader should assess how well the needs of staff within an organization are met (McCormick & Davenport, 2003, p. 18). Shepherd leaders should also ask members to rank them based on their listening and response skills.
Shepherd leaders think it is essential to see followers and life via the lens of immortality to perform better at work. For instance, when David’s father passed away, one professor acted humanly by offering to drive him to his travel agent to travel home for his father’s funeral (McCormick & Davenport, 2003, p. 25). Shepherd leaders should thus separate their emotions from workplaces to offer better decisions when faced with tough situations. Even though shepherd leaders should act humanly and see followers through the immortality lens, they should ensure punishment where applicable. For instance, suppose an employee leaves the company and develops another one by stealing clients from the former workplace, afterward the company collapses, and the staff returns to seek employment in the first company he or she served. The leader can accept him or her back but under strict conditions.
Shepherd leaders should consider leading their followers and not driving them. They should communicate with their followers by going through their work areas to listen as well as talk to them (Fiaz et al., 2017, p. 149). At times people need to hear their boss speak to watch them express themselves. Leaders should not only communicate orally with their staff but also send them messages via phone or email them to feel valued. Before making changes, leaders should engage their workers to join them in the decision-making process.
Shepherd leaders think that it is crucial to admit their failures to their followers. In every workplace, there are challenges, and when leaders come across them, they need to inform their followers to avoid bad surprises. Leaders should also engage their employees in every matter to get diverse opinions and understand the views of each staff. Even though leaders are expected to share the valleys; issues within the organization, at times, it can be challenging to inform followers of an impending matter until confirmed. However, when team members start to face challenges due to the same difficulty, it is essential to listen to them to connect with them on their way out.
In conclusion, shepherd leadership is a type of thinking leadership whereby leaders have to think and act fast for their followers. Shepherd leaders are always in the same field as their team members, busy serving, and taking care of them to ensure growth and development. Leaders have to think of their members’ needs as well as how to meet them. Even while meeting their needs, they should assess whether there is the satisfaction or not. Shepherd leaders lead their followers and not drive them. It is also crucial for leaders to admit their failures and engage their members. Leaders should also act human by separating their emotions from the workplace. Therefore, shepherd leaders should not only think but also work by engaging their followers to render satisfaction, thus ensuring progress.
References
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., Amir, I., & Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees’ motivation: Perspective from an emerging economy. The Journal of Developing Areas , 51 (4), 143-156. https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2017.0093
McCormick, B., & Davenport, D. (2003). Shepherd Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders from Psalm 23 . John Wiley & Sons.
