PRINCIPLE OF THE WAY OF THE SHEPHERD

A perspective on the art of leadership

LEADERSHIP

Every journey starts with a first step…

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu

7 ANCIENT SECRETS TO

MANAGING PEOPLE

1. Know the Condition of Your Flock

2. Discover the Shape of Your Sheep

3. Help Your Sheep Identify with You

4. Make Your Pasture a Safe Place

5. The Staff of Direction

6. The Rod of Correction

7. The Heart of the Shepherd

1. KNOW THE CONDITION OF

YOUR FLOCK

• Follow the status of your people as well as the status of the work.

• Get to know your flock, one sheep at a time.

• Engage your people on a regular basis.

• Keep your eyes and ears open, question, and follow through.

2. DISCOVER THE SHAPE OF

YOUR SHEEP

• Your choice of sheep can make flock management easier or harder.

• Start with healthy sheep, or you’ll inherit someone else’s problems.

• Know the S.H.A.P.E. of your sheep to make sure they’re in the right fold.

ABOUT S.H.A.P.E

S – Strengths

Understand the strengths of the people on your team, or the people who are about to join it.

H - Heart

While the strengths reflect one’s abilities, the heart reflects one’s passion. Put people in areas that reflect their passions.

A – Attitude

People with a good attitude are usually team players. They usually have a teachable spirit. People with negative attitudes tend to be lone rangers. You can’t teach them a thing.

ABOUT S.H.A.P.E

P – Personality

Each one has been hardwired with distinct personality. Put the person in a position that reflects his or her personality.

E – Experience

Each person you meet is a product of their life experiences. Often the key to understanding an individual and the key to knowing where to place him or her on your team is to learn something about the person’s various experiences.

3. HELP YOUR SHEEP

IDENTIFY WITH YOU

• Build trust with your followers by modeling authenticity, integrity, and compassion.

• Set high standards of performance.

• Relentlessly communicate your values and sense of mission.

• Define the cause for your people and tell them where they fit in.

• Remember that great leadership isn’t just professional; it’s personal.

4. MAKE YOUR PASTURE A

SAFE PLACE

• Keep your people well informed.

• Infuse every position with importance.

• Cull chronic instigators from the flock.

• Regularly rotate the sheep to fresh pastures.

• Reassure the sheep by staying visible.

• Don’t give problems time to fester.

5. THE STAFF OF DIRECTION

• Know where you’re going, get out in front, and keep your flock on the move.

• When directing, use persuasion rather than coercion.

• Give your people freedom of movement, but make sure they know where the fence line is. Don’t confuse boundaries with bridles!.

• When your people get in trouble, go and get them out.

• Remind your people that failure isn’t fatal.

6. THE ROD OF CORRECTION

• Protect: Stand in the gap and fight for your sheep.

• Correct: Approach discipline as a teaching opportunity.

• Inspect: Regularly inquire about your people’s progress.

7. THE HEART OF THE

SHEPHERD

• Great leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique.

• Every day you have to decide who’s going to pay for your leadership - you or your people.

• Most of all, have a heart for your sheep.

COST OF LEADERSHIP

A leadership comes with a high price tag for the leader. Great leadership is hard work. More than that, it’s unrelenting.

Those who do it well do so because they are willing to pay the price. What distinguishes a great leader from a mediocre one is that a great leader has heart for his people.

COST: YOUR TIME, YOUR COMMITMENT, YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND PERSONAL ENERGY

Great leadership comes at a price that too few are willing to pay.

REWARD

The greatest reward will be your personal accomplishment

THE STORY BEHIND

Theodore McBride, CEO of General Technologies, a Texas based organization, shares the lessons he learned as a young MBA student from his mentor – an eccentric yet brilliant professor, Jack Neumann. Through a series of safe and supportive mentoring sessions, most of which revolve around Jack’s small flock of prized sheep, Dr. Neumann helps Ted explore the secrets of becoming an effective shepherd-leader in his new position as a supervisor of nine employees at General Technologies. Over the course of seven weeks, Jack assists Ted in coming to understand seven ancient principles of shepherding a flock of sheep, as well as people; management principles that are ancient in origin but which are nevertheless very applicable in today’s fast-paced world.

“Knowing yourself and knowing other selves gives you a light to the right approach to handling people. Then, treat others in the same ways you want others to treat you. To leave a desirable legacy, to have a true influence, and to

build a lasting positive image others are attracted to, never stop to model and remodel yourself, so that others want to

work for and will deeply fall in love with your vision, thoughts, behaviors, personality traits, and attitudes.”

~ Chheng Kimlong “To forever win, and not to ever lose, never fight and compete against others, but fight and compete against yourself. Disregard this and you will lose not a single battle, but many.” ~ Chheng Kimlong

CALL TO ACTION

• Get out of the office, interact with the people on your team.

• Get to know what is important to them as people, not just workers.

• Remember that it is the people who get all the work done; they’re your greatest competitive advantage.

• Treat each person as an individual, not just a member of the team. • Engage with the people on the team on a regular basis. Are you shepherding your people or are you just managing them?

Thank you very much for your attention

- 終り -

Source: THE WAY OF THE SHEPHERD 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People

Dr. Kevin Leman & William Pentak