The Shepherd Leader

Ololo (The Quest for Distinction, 2013) offers leadership advice based on a God-oriented approach to life and business.

A shepherd leader, writes Ololo, needs a vision of where his flock should be going and then needs to lead them there safely. He supports this notion by drawing heavily from Scripture and the metaphorical shepherd frequently alluded to throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the first chapter, Ololo describes the traits that separate leaders (shepherds) from followers (sheep). Shepherds, Ololo contends, are servant-leaders who keep both their vision of the path ahead and the safety of their flock as their primary responsibilities. Sheep, on the other hand, would do well to submit to their shepherd’s will. Ololo extends the scriptural parallels further to align with the pacesetting leadership styles defined by psychologist Daniel Goleman. (Business management students may recognize similar categories as defined by Kurt Lewin and others.) The remaining chapters describe how each of these leadership styles can be applied to various areas, from business to parenting to government, without losing the shepherd or servant mindsets. Ololo ably showcases his knowledge of Scripture, and his carefully chosen references clearly illustrate his primary ideas: “Christ, the Chief Shepherd, in John 14:12, in a pacesetting manner, performed miracles and encouraged his followers to have faith and perform greater miracles than he had performed.” However, nonevangelical Christians, as well as non-Christians, may chafe at the text’s male-oriented language since there’s little effort made to address or portray women as leaders. The sheep metaphor may also be unappealing to readers who’d prefer to retain their individuality.

A dependable though parochial reference for leaders looking to safely shepherd their flocks.