“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall
not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever”.
Psalm
23:1-6
The passage above explains how God as the ultimate leader
and shepherd shows concern for the needs of His flock (His Children). God as a
shepherd leader, communicates love, nurture, intimacy and spiritual care which
a Godly leader would provide. What God does here is that;
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He provides
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He gives rest
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He confidently leads
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He renews and restores
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He guides and directs
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He protects
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He corrects and comforts
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He feeds and anoints
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He loves
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He furnished permanent shelter
In shepherd leadership, caring for people should precede
confronting and blaming them for their mistakes and failures.
Shepherd leaders need to respond to individuals based on
their needs rather than faults.
“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to
eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink”
Proverbs 25:21
In shepherd leadership, even if
the follower puts him/herself in the position of an enemy, a shepherd leader
should still respond with care.
Leaders must see what the people
they are leading need and respond accordingly to help in meeting that need.
Shepherd leaders don’t lead out of
a predetermined package of behavior, but size up every situation and discern
what must happen to reach the desired goal. Good leaders are flexible and
change their response to needs depending on its nature.
A Shepherd leader should take the following path to offer
solution to his/her flock’s needs;
Ø
In shepherd leadership, leaders admit that they
need to listen and get the understanding of the problem the follower is facing.
Ø
In shepherd leadership, leaders should evaluate
what has happened to any of his/her flock and what steps are best to take.
Ø
In shepherd leadership, leaders should
communicate what they observe about their flock to key players if the need
arises.
Ø
In shepherd leadership, leaders act on the bases
of their discovery even it means making some positive changes to provide needs
for his/her flock.
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