Why?

Why this blog?

For more than 20 years I have worked with individuals and organizations as they seek to achieve their goals.  Whether an individual or a large organization, the one issue that repeatedly comes to the forefront is the issue of leadership.  Not management, not supervision but leadership.

There are hundreds of models available to choose from.  Over the years I have come to believe that the model of the shepherd is perhaps the most comprehensive.  Blending both discipline and care this model allows the individual leader to see and interact with those under their leadership to have the security and provision to grow in their ability to contribute to their part of success.

The stand I take is that one manages things, supervised processes and leads people.  If you have to pay someone to see that your staff does their jobs, someone needs to go home.

If you measure your success or the success of your organization only by the bottom line of a financial report then you and/or your organization is functioning on the edge of failure.  Yes, the bottom line is a valid measure but it cannot be the only measure.

There is one absolutely critical element for leadership and that is trust.  Without it all kinds of toxicity flows through the organization.  Without trust, trust in the leader, there is fear, suspicion, anxiety, resentment – ad infinitum.

In this blog we will explore the leader as shepherd.  The most critical thing will be to examine the expectations of the shepherd by and for the sheep. 

This is not some “touchy-feely” model, although touch and feel are important.  Rather it is a deadly serious model that will challenge the leader deeply and powerfully.  It is not about making the sheep happy, although that’s not a bad thing, rather it is about taking responsibility for and with the sheep so the human resources stay healthy and grow stronger.

The greatest challenge will be to the individual who has accepted (chosen) the role of leadership.  You will have to work hard to develop or strengthen those characteristics that can make you a good leader while rejecting and refusing those characteristics which erode the trust that needs to exist.

This will not be fun but it will be effective.  I hope you’ll subscribe and join us on this journey.

“A cowboy drives cattle, a shepherd leads sheep.”

Michael