The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People

More than just another management book, The Way of the Shepherd relates sound people management practices to shepherding. Basically it takes seven of the most important principles of shepherding and relates them to managing productive people who want to work for you. The seven principles are each set in their own chapter and covered in detail. of Know the Condition of Your Flock, Discover the Shape of Your Sheep, Help Your Sheep Identify with You, Make Your Pasture a Safe Place, The Staff of Direction, The Rod of Correction, The Heart of the Shepherd. Basically by explaining various important aspects of good shepherding the authors provide solid object lessons in managing people. Each chapter ends with a short synopsis of the major points. There is a lot of wisdom concentrated in these seven principles and I found myself printing them out on a small card that I can carry with me. The Way of the Shepherd is a highly recommended purchase and can be applied to many different kings of "flocks" - family, church, service groups, or any other group you care about.

One of a manager's primary challenges is to maintain the talent that you have recruited, trained and made personal and corporate investment in development. You don't want this talent to walk or move to a competitor. We invest money in maintaining and upgrading our capital investments regularly. Way of the Shepherd tells you how to make human investment. Pentak and Leman take lessons from an experienced shepherd, and translate good practice into human resource management. They take you through Management 101 to Human Resource Development at the post-graduate level in simple, but deep lessons about management's role in personnel maintenance. Take a weekend and go to shepherding school, or take this on your next business flight and you'll have the tools to re-ignite your committment to your staff, from your stars to you marginal performers. It's an investment of time that will pay returns after each chapter, from knowing your sheep to making a safe pasture to providing correction and direction. This is the best human resource management book I have ever read. It's insightful and practical. I am recommending it to my management team and to my boss. It will contribute to reaching our department goal - being the best place to work. Jim Johns

I picked up "The Way of the Shepherd" and can't put it down! It spoke to me as a leader, a teacher and as a Christian. I heard God telling me, "This is how I lead you, now lead others using the same principles and teach them to do the same!" It is a real blessing to me. Although the principles in and of themselves weren't new, I was taught in an entirely new and refreshing way and it was EASY to read! In today's society we need to get back to the basics of caring for people who work for us and with us. This book give you the tools to do this.

I read the book this weekend and thought it was great. I believe that the book has captured the essence of the vacuum we find in the business world today. Anyone aspiring to a position of leadership should commit the story and the principles to memory. I'm thinking about reading it to my boys. Even though they are younger the story will captivate their minds and present me with the opportunity to discuss the underlying principles that the Way of the Shepherd communicates.

The book is an easy read. I have spent the last 16 years managing people and clients; the last 12 years managing a family. The book provides the "secrets" plus "how to" implement them. Executives and families can use the book's principles to change the way we manage our load.