Recently, I posted 10 Books Every Leader Should Read This Summer. One of the items included was Larry Osborne’s Lead Like A Shepherd: The Secret To Leading Well. It is an excellent book. I recently wrote The Christian Leadership Model Everyone Will Be Talking About One Year From Now. The model is a shepherding leadership model. Larry’s book further deepens my thoughts on the subject.
The following are 30 Lessons On The Secret To Leading Well I captured from his book. All quotes are from him. See if you do not agree.
- “It’s not so much about the task of leadership as it is about the heart of leadership and what it means to lead like a shepherd instead of a CEO.”
- “I can’t think of anything worse than a lifetime of ministry praised by strangers but despised by those who know me best.”
- “The privilege of spiritual leadership has never been reserved for those with a perfect track record. It’s been reserved for those who repent and run to the cross, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.”
- “Jesus and the Bible have gone from being widely honored (if only marginally followed), to grudgingly tolerated, to politically incorrect, to widely vilified as a repressive and dangerous threat.”
- “Even many long-term Christians are woefully ignorant of the Bible. They have a cut-and-paste theology made up of what they think it says, not what it actually says. And good luck to anyone who tries to tell them differently.”
- “Most free-agent Christians aren’t looking to be discipled; they’re looking to be affirmed and encouraged. They’d rather have a cheerleader than a coach.”
- “A combination of godly leaders and growing disciples would enable the light of Jesus to shine into the darkest of places.”
- “The mark of a good shepherd is his willingness to sacrifice his life for the sheep.”
- “When it comes to a New Testament shepherd, it’s all about the sheep, not the shepherd.”
- “The right question is always, ‘What do the sheep need?’ It’s what a real shepherd asks.”
- “The path to success in God’s kingdom has always been to give more than we get. Those who lose their earthly scorecard inevitably win on God’s eternal scorecard.”
- “Whenever ministry becomes a career, it ceases to be a calling.”
- “The first thing to notice about how the Lord shepherds us is that he does what is best for us whether we like it or not. In other words, he’s willing to be misunderstood.”
- “A good shepherd doesn’t take a poll to see where the sheep want to go. He finds out where the sheep need to go and then leads them there. As far as I can tell, the only instance in the Bible where the sheep took a vote didn’t work out too well. It was the ultimate congregational meeting gone bad.”
- “The Lord leads us on the right path for his name’s sake and that path inevitably takes us through dark valleys on the way to the mountaintop.”
- “Those who learn to lead with a shepherd’s heart won’t always be loved and understood. But they’ll wish they were. Those who lead with a hireling’s heart won’t give a rip – at least not until they find themselves in the unemployment line.”
- “He adapts to the weaknesses and limitations of his flock even when those fears and limitations are unfounded and frustrating. He knows his job is to keep them healthy and hydrated, no matter what it takes to get the job done.”
- “Children tend to adopt our values, they seldom adopt our boundaries.”
- “A good shepherd doesn’t berate his weak, frightened, or struggling sheep. He adapts and adjusts in order to help them do what they need to do. His goal is to help the sheep, not to harangue the sheep.”
- “As a shepherd, I don’t have the luxury of being pained, frustrated, or angry. I have sheep who need to know what the Bible says so they can renew their minds and align their lives with it. It’s my job to create some quiet waters so they’ll drink deeply from it.”
- “Sanctification is a process, not an instant decision. Some sheep will move to the front of the line quickly, some will move slowly, and some will be satisfied to stay in the middle of the pack. The frustrating ones will keep wandering off over and over again. It’s a shepherd’s job to care for them all. We can’t play favorites.”
- “The struggling, the stragglers, and the laggards need a shepherd, not a butcher.”
- “There’s a huge difference between a struggling lamb and an infectious lamb.”
- “When it comes to persistent and high-handed sin or chronic divineness, it’s never loving to look the other way. It’s irresponsible and dangerous.”
- “A good shepherd has the guts to do the right thing even when it’s a scary thing. He doesn’t stand by while the cancer spreads. He won’t let one sick lamb destroy the flock. He might fear collateral damage, but he’s not paralyzed by it. He knows the cancer kills in the long run. So he cuts it out before it spreads too far.”
- “Discipleship is a requirement for all; leadership is a calling for some.”
- “The angels must shake their heads in befuddlement when those of us who are spiritual shepherds have lost our enthusiasm and only serve out of obligation, complaining about hardships and difficulties that come with spiritual leadership.”
- “It perpetuates the myth that missionaries, pastors, and shepherds have the hardest jobs out there. It’s a myth widely proclaimed at conference, Bible schools, and seminaries by pastors, missionaries, and professors who believe it because they’ve never had a real job in their lives.”
- “Servant leaders still lead. They don’t take a poll to find out where the sheep want to go. They don’t crowdsource vision. They always put the Father’s agenda above the flock’s agenda.”
- “But His call to discipleship was ‘follow me’, not ‘listen to me.’ He didn’t ask his disciples to do anything he wasn’t already doing himself. He led by example.”
This just scratches the surface. I cannot recommend this book enough. Make sure you click HERE or on the image provided below to get a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed.
