Stealth Wealth Are you under the radar?

The Way of the Shepherd, by Dr. Kevin Leman, is a book that begins with William Pentak going to interview Theodore McBride. Mr. McBride is a reclusive executive that doesn’t give many interviews. He is asked hundreds of times to give interviews because he is the most respected business leader in America, but turns the reporters away each time. He accepts Mr. Pentak’s offer because Mr. Pentak is young and can tell the seven principles of managing “your flock” in a way that matured business writers could not.

The first of the seven principles is knowing the condition of your flock. A manager with workers under his/her guidance has the responsibility to make his/her flock the best he can make it become. First a manager needs to get to know his flock. He needs to engage in one-on-one conversations with each employee in his flock. A manager needs to get his flock to view him as a guide instead of a commander. If the flock views its manager as a guide (someone who advises or acts as a model) rather than a commander (someone who commands or controller), the workers will value the manager more and work harder because he cares for them.

The second of the seven principles is discovering the S.H.A.P.E. of your flock. “S” stands for strengths. A good manager makes sure that the person he has doing each individual job has the skills needed to do the job efficiently. “H” is for Heart. If a manager’s employees have the “heart” and passion for their occupation and what their doing they will work harder for the manager. Excellent managers know how to make their employees have a passion for their job and feel important. The third letter is “A”, which is for attitude. A good attitude can carry an employee a long way. An employee with a good attitude usually has a teachable spirit. On the other hand, employees with a negative attitude are hard to teach and tend to not learn as fast if at all. “P” is for personality. Everyone has a different personality. A manager needs to learn what personalities he needs for each job when it comes to hiring or promotion. Finally, the last letter is “E”, which is for experiences. Through experiences a person gains knowledge from it and experience. Listen to other experiences of other employees. Also a good manager will listen to an applicant’s experiences to see what he has gone through and learned.

The third principle is the manager helping the flock identify with himself. A manager should act how he wants his employees to act, treat his employees like he wants to be treated. He needs to show authenticity, compassion and integrity. By showing those three characteristics the manager is setting a high standard from his employees since he would be practicing them.

Next a Manager needs a safe “pasture”. A manager needs to make sure his employees feel safe on the job. A good manager doesn’t just sit in his office and do paper work. He gets out among his employees and talks to them. By being visible and communicating with his employees they tend to feel safer and closer to the manager and company.

The fifth is leading your “flock”. Give your employees comfort about the future. Also mentioned in this book is that managers should use persuasion instead of coercing an employee into believing something or doing a task. If a manager neglects his employees they tend to lose focus on why they are doing their job or what the future holds for them. The longer people are neglected the wearier they grow.

A rod was used to teach the sixth principle. This principle is about how a manager stands in the gap for its employees. He backs them up and takes the heat if someone has a problem with his workers. If it’s the workers fault, then the manager will correct the employee privately. Doing all of this creates a sense of security and trust for the manager. When it comes to correcting an employee the manager should use this opportunity to teach a lesson. Disciplining an employee isn’t to solely for punishment, it is to teach a lesson so that the mistake isn’t repeated again.

The final principle is having the heart of a “Shepherd”. A manager needs to prove himself worthy of being followed. Without showing that you care for your employees and are willing to pay the price to maintain them a manager will lose respect and will not be followed in an organization. Eventually the employees will go to another organization where a manager does look after his employees.