Overview
The Way of the Shepherd is concise and offers good advice for managers looking to improve their leadership abilities. The author attended the McCombs School of Business, and a professor taught him about leadership while they tended to his sheep. A former teacher recommended this book to me.
I will be brief.
Lessons
- Know the condition of your people. Employees are an organization’s greatest source of competitive advantage, and it’s imperative to engage them and ensure they’re doing well.
- Discover the SHAPE of your employees. It’ll make hiring decisions easier, and will aid in making work more fulfilling for individuals and teams.
- Strengths – ensure they have the necessary skills for the job
- Heart – place people in positions they’ll be passionate about
- Attitude – recruit and hire people with positive, can-do attitudes
- Personality – put people in positions that reflect their personality
- Experiences – evaluate people’s life experiences, keeping in mind the kind of unique perspective they can bring to a team
- Build trust with your employees by being authentic, compassionate, and by acting with integrity. Communicate your mission and values, and set high standards.
- Make work a safe place where people feel valuable and well-informed. Don’t let problems escalate.
- Know where you’re going, get out in front, and keep your employees close to you. In other words, lead by doing.
- Correct your employees when they’re wrong. Do it to teach them, not embarrass or punish them.
- Protect: Fight for your employees
- Correct: Approach discipline as a teaching opportunity
- Inspect: Regularly check in on your people’s progress
- To be a leader, make it a lifestyle, not a technique.
Recommendation
The Way of the Shepherd is a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone looking to develop their leadership abilities.
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