I’ve been in church life since I was an infant. My grandfather was a pastor and my parents were heavily involved. So I used my church experience over the years to come up with this different kind of shepherd cartoon.
Leadership can be tough when nobody wants to be a follower. It’s even harder when everyone in the group is about aggressive as a sheep, yet refuse to be led. I’ve seen a few pastors face this situation. You have to beware of sheep with fangs!
However, leaders also have to learn to be followers. It can be difficult for a leader to garner a following if he himself has been a lousy follower. This quote by Sam Rayburn has stuck with me.
“You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”
Sam Rayburn
When we have a willingness to learn and to be led, people notice. They will be more apt to follow us as well. That is true in business as well as church settings.
Good leadership requires humility, accountability, and a willingness to learn. In addition, it requires us to be willing to let go of the members of a flock that are too stubborn to be led. We can remember that The Good Shepherd had that problem too.
That said, it’s a tricky business. We have to balance being confident in our vision while being flexible in how to achieve it. Leaders can learn from followers. On the other hand, it’s okay when the fickle followers leave and go to the latest, the hippest shepherd in town. They were never our sheep anyway.
I originally sold this different kind of shepherd cartoon to Leadership Journal, where it was published.
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
