Paul’s instructions to the church leaders in Ephesus are good advice for servant leaders in any position of responsibility: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). In the last issue we looked at what it means to “keep watch” over ourselves; in this issue we’ll look at what it means to “keep watch” over “all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” This “flock” is the people under your leadership whether church members, employees, direct reports, children or others under your influence. Servant leaders not only examine themselves to see what they are becoming but also care about those lead and watch over them in the same areas they examined in themselves.

Watch what energizes them.

Servant leaders pay attention to the things which bring life and energy to those under their care. They are not only concerned about the work being done, but watch to see that people are in places that produce life and energy for them. They seek to match gifts, abilities and temperaments to the assigned task. Servant leaders see the potential in every person and expect that when they are doing what God created them to do, their lives will exhibit energy and passion. When servant leaders see a lack of energy and passion, they are willing to reassign work or even release people from their care to help them find the right place. Paul calls us to look carefully at those under us and examine whether they are fully energized with what they do.

Watch what offends them.

Servant leaders observe the emotional health of those they are leading. This involves looking much more deeply into their lives than evaluating their performance. Servant leaders care not only about the task, but about the person doing the work. Many leaders are not even close enough to their followers to be aware of their emotions, but servant leaders are willing to rub shoulders with those they lead and allow them to express their thoughts and feelings. Servant leaders ask whether those under their care are growing in relational capacity and in their ability to appropriately express their emotions. They ask if their followers’ ability to deal with difficult issues is increasing or decreasing. They consider whether the environment of their team is conducive to share feelings in a healthy manner.

Watch what controls them.

Servant leaders watch for signs of what controls those they lead. They recognize that motives are as crucial as performance. Servant leaders ask themselves if those who are following do so willingly and eagerly because they are committed to the vision or if they follow for other motives. They recognize that some may work only because of the salary. Church members may be motivated only by the desire to avoid judgement. Servant leaders desire for those under them to be motivated by the vision, and they work to create an environment where followers enjoy what they are doing and do it because they want to, not because they have to.

Watch their attitude.

Servant leaders recognize the attitude of those they lead is continually improving or declining, and they keep watch. They recognize that the attitude of their followers may well be a reflection of their own attitude! They listen to Paul’s counsel and take an ‘attitude audit’ of their team.

Watching others can be done for selfish motives and many leaders take some of the steps above simply to accomplish their own goals. But servant leaders watch over those under their care because they really care about others! Take a good look today at the people they are becoming by answering the questions below.

For further reflection and discussion:

• Reflect on the focus of your leadership. Do you typically look first at the ‘bottom line’ of profit, growth, numbers, and output, or do you equally consider the condition of those who help you achieve the ‘bottom line’? What does this say about your heart and what needs to change?
• Think about those under your care. What is their level of energy and passion? Are you satisfied that they are in the right place and doing what God has called them to do? Is there anything that needs to be changed? Repeat this reflection with others under your care. Don’t forget your family!
• Are you close enough to those who you lead to know their emotional health? Are they free to share openly with you or are they cautious around you? Is your team growing in their capacity to handle difficult issues in a healthy way? How often do you ask them about their families or other parts of their lives outside of their work? Do you genuinely care about them as people?
• What are you doing as a leader to create a healthy environment emotionally? Do you allow healthy disagreements? Do you encourage completely honest responses? What can your team do to grow in this area?
• What is the current attitude of your team? Are their attitudes improving or declining? In what ways does their attitude reflect yours? What are you doing as a leader to improve the attitudes?
• From this reflection, what steps is God inviting you to take to improve? After you have written them, share them with a friend.

From looking after sheep to leading a nation, David has one of the most comprehensive biographies recorded in scripture. David is known as a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) and there are many lessons servant leaders can learn from the story of his life and leadership. In this issue, we’ll look at his early life experience as a shepherd and learn how God used this to develop in him the heart of a shepherd.

We first learn of David when God sent Samuel to appoint another king for Israel to replace Saul who had not fully obeyed God. God sent Samuel to David’s home to appoint a new king and he looked at all of David’s brothers. At this point, David is not even at home; he’s out with the sheep. His father reported, “He is tending the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11). Although he did not recognize it at the time, behind the scenes God had been shaping in David the heart of a shepherd. The image of a shepherd is often used in Scripture to describe the role of a servant leader and David learned several things as a shepherd which made him a great servant leader.

A shepherd serves with humility.

The work of a shepherd is a lowly job, about as low as you can go. Watching sheep in a desert is not an exciting job! It’s not what aspiring leaders sign up to do as an internship or seek to add to their resume or CV. But as David watched sheep he developed a heart of humility. In the desert there was no one to impress and there was no applause at the end of the day. Even later, when God raised him to a high position, he reflected several times on the reality that he did not earn this position because of his background. He carried with him into leadership a deep sense of awe that God would choose him to lead others. The world is crying for leaders who lead with strength but a humble heart. Like David, those who serve with humility powerfully influence the lives of others.

A shepherd sacrifices for the sheep.

As David led the sheep in the wilderness, he learned that leadership is not about privilege but about sacrifice. He sacrificed his time and his own comfort for the sake of the sheep. Several times, he risked his own life to rescue the sheep from a bear and a lion. Servant leaders recognize that God calls them to focus on the needs of those they serve rather than their own interests.

A shepherd surveys the flock.

A significant role of the shepherd was simply watching over the flock. David watched over the flock to protect them from danger, to identify sheep needing special care or attention. As he stood watch, he learned that servant leaders continually look after the needs of those they are called to lead. They continually reflect on the health of those they lead and act on what they see.

A shepherd stands alone.

As David worked alone, he learned to stand alone. He developed the ability to think for himself and to make decisions that were not based on the opinion of others. In the desert, there was no one around to consult, and no one to impress. As he stood alone with the sheep, he developed courage which he would use later to slay giants and lead a large army. Servant leaders do not work alone, but learn to stand alone, doing what is right instead of what is convenient.

The years of tending sheep in the desert were not wasted in David’s life. God was building a leader who would be able to shepherd His people. Every servant leader needs to learn the same lessons. Are you ready to shepherd?

For further reflection and discussion:

• What experiences has God allowed in my life to teach me humility? Have I sufficiently learned the lessons so that my leadership is shaped by humility? In what ways have I demonstrated humility in the past week?
• Is my leadership primarily about myself or those I serve? In what way have I sacrificed myself recently for those I lead?
• Take a few moments to reflect on the condition of those you serve. What are their greatest needs? Fears? Challenges? Dreams? In what way is God calling you to respond to what you see?
• Reflect on a recent situation which called for leadership courage. What was the situation and how did you respond? What was the result and what is God inviting you to do in a similar situation in the future?