In October 2003, my first professor in Human Resources Management at Texas A&M, Blaine McCormick, sent me a copy of a book he co-authored with David Davenport entitled, Shepherd Leadership. In the book, McCormick and Davenport point out that good leaders aren’t just born…it is possible to learn how to be a better leader.
They took Psalm 23 and crafted a picture of leadership. Now, when you or I think about a shepherd, we may be thinking about a calm, peaceful activity. However, Biblical shepherds like David (author of the 23rd Psalm) held a dangerous, demanding, around-the-clock job.
McCormick and Davenport note that whereas servant leadership downplays hierarchy and status differences, shepherd leadership places the leader squarely at the front of the followers to serve as role model.