The struggle of shepherding a team
ChatGPTIt's no secret to anyone that knows me well that my dream retirement job is farming. I want to own a small piece of land raising sheep, goats and chickens and be as self-sufficient as possible. As I prepare for that eventuality, I find myself reading books on shepherding, veterinary medicine and other interesting topics. I was reading the other day about lambing procedures one might face in such an operation.
One technique really caught my eye, used when a lamb is born with breathing problems. “Grasp the lamb firmly and swing it aggressively in an arc several times in order that centrifugal force will expel the fluid in the lungs. Make sure you have a good grip on the lamb to avoid throwing it out of the barn.” Wow. I can hardly wait for that.
What does this have to do with leadership? Well, I was struck by what this technique taught me about shepherding a team.
Just like the lamb who is struggling to survive, we must take firm action with those under our leadership who need discipline. In some cases, we must let them go and “throw them out of the barn” for the good of the organization. That’s tough to do, especially if you are in a Christian environment where occasionally grace is misapplied.
Throughout scripture, there are multiple examples of fallenness and forgiveness, but I have yet to find one where the consequences of sin are removed. The Bible clearly teaches those consequences are used by God to correct us, or use us in others’ lives who may be struggling in the same way, but those consequences aren’t miraculously removed as if the sin never occurred.
The apostle Paul tells the church to expel unrepentant members of the Corinthian community from their midst. There are clearly times when grace should be applied, but I also believe there are times when we need to remove “the little leaven that leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6).
Henry Cloud’s book Necessary Endingsis an excellent resource for working through issues with staff. He talks about dealing with three types of people: the wise, foolish, and evil. He compares and contrasts the three using the following diagnostic.
Wise people
“When truth presents itself, the wise person sees the light, takes it in, and makes adjustments.”
With wise people, according to Cloud, the key to “swinging them” is to “talk to them, give them resources, and you will get a return.” Thankfully we deal with wise people who need direction but are willing to listen and make those changes.
Foolish people
“The foolish person tries to adjust the truth so he does not have to adjust to it.”
With foolish people,” stop talking to them about their problems; they are not listening. And stop applying resources, they will squander them. Instead, give them limits and consequences.”
Evil people
In strong contrast, evil people are in the world to hurt you—intentionally. Foolish people will hurt you unintentionally; evil people desire to bring you down. Cloud recommends we protect ourselves from evil people. Most of us deal with the first two types much more frequently than evil people, but I have had the occasion to interact with them. These are the ones to throw out of the barn to protect the herd.
I hope this will spur a conversation on your team and with other leaders. I encourage you to look further into the scriptures and discuss.
Photo source: istock
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