The World Still Needs Shepherds
Why Servant-Hearted Leadership Matters in Every Industry
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11
🕊️ A Timeless Model for Modern Times
Leadership in 2025 moves faster and is more demanding than ever. Quicker decisions. Shorter attention spans. Endless pressure to perform.
Yet after five decades in leadership—across government, healthcare, business, and ministry—I’ve learned this: people don’t follow authority, they follow authenticity.
The best leaders have always been shepherds. They guide, protect, and nurture those they lead. They serve, not rule.
That vision of the shepherd is ancient… but it’s exactly what our world needs again.
🌿 The Shepherd’s Example
In John 10:11, Jesus defines the good shepherd as one willing to lay down his life for his sheep.
That kind of leadership doesn’t chase recognition. It absorbs responsibility.
I’ve seen this truth play out everywhere—from crisis shelters to corporate teams. When leaders choose service over status, trust flourishes. The culture becomes lighter, safer, more human.
💧 Restoring the Soul of Leadership
Psalm 23 reminds us,
“He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.”
That’s what servant leaders do—they create calm in chaos.
In one organization I led, we introduced quarterly “white-space” days—no meetings, just reconnection and rest.
Productivity didn’t dip. It soared. Renewal always outperforms relentless pace.
Grinding everyday 18 hours per day may bring results but we all know is not sustainable. In a three year span in the early 2000's my team and I led 3 major construction projects, expanded a core program by 150%, and planted a church. The results and lasting impact were amazing. Would I do it again-not in this lifetime!
⚖️ When Shepherds Neglect Their Flock
Ezekiel 34 warns of shepherds who feed themselves while the flock starves.
Leadership without love erodes trust—and eventually collapses.
If we want to restore faith in leadership, we must return to the shepherd’s heart: guiding, healing, and protecting.
Guiding means helping others find clarity and confidence in where they’re headed. To implement this:
Set direction through shared purpose, not imposed goals. Invite your team to co-create vision statements or project outcomes.
Communicate consistently. Silence breeds confusion; steady communication breeds trust.
Model steadiness under pressure—your calm becomes their compass.
Healing involves creating conditions where people and cultures can recover, not just perform. To implement this:
Build emotional safety. Encourage honesty about mistakes and challenges without fear of punishment.
Recognize burnout early—both in yourself and others—and make space for recovery, not just performance reviews.
Celebrate growth and reconciliation. Healing often happens in acknowledgment, not avoidance.
Protecting is about using authority to create safety, not self-preservation. To implement this:
Take responsibility publicly and correct privately. It protects dignity and unity.
Guard your team from unrealistic demands, gossip, and toxicity—even when it costs convenience.
Stand up for integrity in decision-making. Protection includes shielding people from moral compromise.
Leaders who guide with clarity, heal with compassion, and protect with courage rebuild what cynicism has stolen: trust. When that trust returns, leadership once again becomes what it was always meant to be—a sacred act of service.
🙌 Leading by Serving
Mark 10:44-45 reframes leadership entirely:
“Whoever wants to be first must be your servant… For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
In today’s context, that might look like:
Listening before directing
Asking what your team needs before deciding what you want
Measuring success by how people feel after working with you
Servant-hearted leaders aren’t weak—they’re wise. Influence deepens when people feel seen.
🔑 Habits of a Servant-Hearted Leader
1. Listen actively. Begin every meeting with curiosity, not control.
2. Lead with empathy. Understand before instructing.
3. Foster collaboration. Replace competition with shared mission.
4. Reflect and pray. Leadership requires soul maintenance.
5. Stay accountable. Transparency invites trust.
These aren’t soft skills—they’re survival skills for any organization hoping to last.
🌍 Why Every Industry Needs Shepherds
When we lead with a servant's heart in the role model of Jesus it changes the core of our work.
In…
Business: brings ethics back into profit.
Healthcare: renews compassion in care.
Education: turns classrooms into communities.
Government: restores purpose to public service.
Entrepreneurship: grounds ambition in meaning.
Every field is starving for leaders who choose service over spotlight.
💭 A Reflection for You
Ask yourself:
Who has shepherded you in your journey?
How are you guiding, protecting, or restoring those you lead?
Where might ambition be drowning compassion?
Servant-hearted leadership doesn’t make you smaller—it makes your impact last.
After fifty years of leading, I can promise this: you will never regret choosing people over prestige.
🤝 An Invitation
If this resonates with you—and you’re ready to explore what servant-hearted leadership looks like with others who believe the same—come join us in the Servant Leaders Accelerator community.
Together, we’re re-imagining what leadership can be: humble, strong, and built to last.