Book Summary Preview : The Way of the Shepherd

The Big Idea

The Way of the Shepherd presents the story of a young, inexperienced reporter who meets and interviews the most respected CEO in America, and walks away with the lessons of a lifetime – the keys to exceptional leadership. In the course of the interview the CEO shares with the reporter seven proven management principles that are ancient in origin but which are nevertheless very applicable in today’s fast-paced world.

Why You Need This Book

This excellent book teaches leaders how to lead those around them so that they get to view their work as a calling instead of a mere job. It shows leaders how to infuse work with meaning and how to energize and engage the workforce. The book illustrates an approach to management that is at once timeless (proven across millennia), challenging (it calls for those applying its principles to give their best in order to get the best), and uncommon (it presents unique principles that will inevitably set users apart from other leaders).

The book is divided into seven chapters, namely:

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.

• Many managers focus too much on the project at hand and not enough on the people they also have to manage.
• They may be physically present with their flock – but they are more preoccupied with the work rather than with their people.
• One’s people must never be neglected – people are always one’s greatest competitive advantage.

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

• People are individuals, and that is how they should be treated.
• People must never be treated like numbers!
• One must take a personal interest in each of the people who report directly to one. Know what things impact them at the moment.

- Discover their skills and interests.
- Know what their goals and dreams are.
- Find out what motivates them and what discourages them.
- Determine their career ambitions and frustrations.

Engage your people on a regular basis.

• Go out and get among your people regularly.

Keep your eyes and ears open, ask lots of questions, and follow through.

• Be sensitive to employees’ sentiments.
• Keep up with what’s going on in the lives of your people as best you can.
• Really care about your people. If you don’t really care about the people who report to you, you’ll never be the sort of leader they’ll drop everything to follow; they’ll never do their best and they won’t stay with you for long.
• People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.

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 just inherit someone else’s problems.

Know the SHAPE of your sheep to make sure they’re in the right fold.

1. Strengths. Make sure each person has the skill set needed to do the job.

• Sometimes it can be learned on the job, sometimes it’s needed immediately – it depends on the vacancy.
• Understand the strengths of the people on the team and those who are about to join it.

2. Heart. Strengths reflect abilities; heart reflects passion.

• It doesn’t matter how strong you are if you’re not motivated to exercise that strength.
• Know what your people are passionate about and place them in areas which reflect their passions.

3. Attitude. You want positive, can-do people. Given a choice between talent and attitude, pick attitude any time.

• People with good attitude are usually team players; they usually have a teachable spirit.
• People with bad attitudes generally can’t be taught a thing.
• Even if the person with a bad attitude happens to be your star performer, get rid of them. Even if they’re star performers, they’ll have a negative effect on your team. They’re poor examples for others and their attitudes are contagious.

4. Personality. Put each person in a position that reflects his or her personality.

• Some people are introverts, others extroverts.
• Some people love repetition; others need variety.
• Some people thrive on structure; others need change.

5. Experiences. Each person is a product of their life experiences. Often the key to understanding a person and knowing where to place him or her in a team is to learn something about their life experiences.

 

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