The shepherd principle - 7 recipes for good leadership

7 recipes for success of an excellent leader

Always know exactly the condition of your herd

• Follow the condition of your people just as closely as the condition of your work.
• Get to know your flock well, one sheep at a time.
• Look after each individual on a regular basis.
• Keep your eyes and ears open, ask questions and follow the story of each individual.

Discover the format of your sheep

• The type of sheep you choose is crucial. This will make it easier or more difficult to manage your flock.
• Start with healthy sheep, otherwise you will inherit other people's problems
• Look at the following for each sheep: Strengths, heart, attitude, character, experiences. This helps to ensure that you find the ones that are right for you in the flock.

Help your sheep to identify with you

• Gain the trust of your employees by striving to be authentic, integer and empathetic.
• Set high performance standards
• Relentlessly communicate your values and sense of mission with them.
• Define for your people exactly what is at stake and clarify with everyone where he or she fits best.
• Always remember that excellent leadership is not just a professional skill, but something very personal.

Ensure the safety of your pasture

• Always keep your people well informed.
• Show that every job is important to you.
• Remove chronic complainers from the herd.
• Regularly move the sheep to fresh pastures in turn.
• Give the sheep a sense of security by making yourself visible.
• Don't give problems time to fester.

Your staff with which you lead

• Be aware of where you are going, lead the way and keep your flock moving.
• When leading, use persuasion, not coercion.
• Give your people freedom of movement, but make sure they know where the fence line is. Don't confuse boundaries with bridles.
• If your people get into trouble, go and get them out.
• Show your people that failure is not the end of the world.

Your stick with which you correct

• Protect: Jump into the breach and fight for your sheep.
• Rebuke: Frame action to discipline as an opportunity to teach.
• Check: Regularly ask each of your people how he/she is doing.

The heart of the shepherd

• Strong leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique.
• You have to decide every day who pays the price for your leadership: you or your people.
• Above all else, have a heart for your sheep.

Shepherds in the youth group

Not everyone is a shepherd and doesn't have to be. But if you have a shepherd's heart, the above will give you direction. Take time to think about your shepherding ministry based on the 7 points. Ask your children, your team, how they see you in this respect. Discuss as a team how you interact with your children and teenagers and whether these 7 key things are being considered. Too often you focus on the programs and far too little on the "sheep":

• do you know each sheep personally? His passion, his sufferings, his dreams, his disappointments, his gifts, his weaknesses, his situation at home, at school, ...
• what would be the next step in its growth? What food does your sheep need? How can you help it to grow spiritually?
• where did one of them get lost? In gambling addiction? In inferiority? In anger? ...

You can only do this if you yourself stay very close to your shepherd - to Jesus? How and where do you experience Jesus as your shepherd?

Sources

• Cover picture: Clipart courtesy of the publisher buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart - www.ejw-buch.de
  from: Jungscharleiter Grafik-CD plus; Second revised edition 2002
  © buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart
• Mindmap: Juropaarchiv, www.juropa.net