Leadership that Cares

Shepherd Leadership

Several years ago, I read Blaine McCormick and David Davenport's thought-provoking book Shepherd Leadership, Wisdom for Leaders From Psalm 23.  The authors used the metaphor of the good shepherd to build a framework for pastoral leadership.

The shepherd image indicates that good leaders avoid directives and aloofness, choosing to model the behaviours they desire and walk with their flocks: "Shepherds do not issue a lot of memos and orders from the corner office; rather, they get out in the field and model and guide." (7)

The shepherd leader is highly empathetic, committing "considerable time to listening to the flock." (14) 

They are capable of discerning the goals that need to be met and possess the capacity to lead their staffs to reach those goals: "The good shepherd leader must master both the mountain and the valley, being able to find the right paths and lead people along them." (38-39)

The shepherd leader is a consensus builder, even when faced by apparently contradictory views: "Shepherd leaders need to be both-and not either-or thinkers. (58)

Most importantly, the shepherd leader knows when to step to the front and lead the flock, when to walk alongside the flock, and when to step to the back and allow others to lead: "To shepherd effectively, one must know when to lead, when to follow, and when to get out of the way!" (58)

Appreciative Leadership

by Diana Whitney, Amanda Trosten-Bloom, & Kae Rader

From their exploration of leadership, including personal observations, interviews, and focus groups, authors Diana Whitney, Amanda Trosten-Bloom, and Kae Rader have developed a framework for what they call appreciative leadership. 

In Chapter 1, they define appreciative leadership as follows:

• It is relational – tuning into existing patterns of collaboration;
• It is positive – respecting all people and seeing the best in them;
• It turns potential into positive power; and,
• It has a rippling effect.

In Chapter 2, the authors emphasize that appreciative leadership seeks everywhere – even unlikely places - for positive and creative potential: “Appreciative Leadership is like mining.  You know the gems are there, you just don’t know where they are.” (21)  They offer 8 “mining sites”, including people’s stories of past successes, their edgy ideas, and even their cynicism.  With respect to the last source, they quote Peter Lange: “Behind every cynical statement is a dream wanting to be expressed.” (37) 

Chapters 3 though 7 present the 5 core strategies of appreciative leadership: inquiry, illumination, inclusion, inspiration, and integrity.

The chapter on inquiry begins with a challenge to leaders to ask more than they tell – to be mindful of their ask-to-tell ratio. (30)  Leaders are also encouraged to challenge people’s thinking by asking values-based questions.   Most importantly, leaders must learn how to perform the Flip: turn a negative issue or problem into a positive question. When presented by someone with a problem or complaint, a leader can accomplish the Flip by following 3 steps:

• Listen carefully and repeat what was said;
• Ask, “What is it that you really want?”; and,
• Reflect on what you heard by describing in a 2 or 3-word phrase what the person really wants.

The authors stress that “Appreciative leaders flip questions about problems to questions about success.” (45)

The authors add that habitual problems are prime candidates for the Flip.  The 3 parts of an appreciative question are as follows:

• Value-based affirmative topic - a 2 to 4-word phrase that conveys a core value
• Rapport-building lead-in  - 3/4 sentences that explain the topic and its meaning through  a high-point experience of it; 
• Empowering probes – W5H questions that analyze the specifics of the high-point story.

Chapter 3 ends with a great statement on the value of inquiry: “Inquiry is a silo buster.  It gives people who need to (but don’t) work together a way to come together and learn about and from each other.”(52)

Illumination, the second core strategy, is the theme of Chapter 4.  Four illumination practices are identified: seeking, seeing, sharing, and aligning the best of people and situations. (59)  Seeking and seeing the best of people can be achieved by starting conversations and beginning meetings with the appreciative check-in – simply asking people to share a recent success story. Strength spotting in people essentially involves active listening skills.  Coaching is a highly illuminating practice through the collection and analysis of stories and observations.  Illuminating also involves aligning of people’s strengths with each other and organizational core priorities.  Finally, illumination seeks to get at the root causes of success through asking people two questions:

• Describe a time when you experienced us at our best;
• What caused us to be at our best in this situation? (80)

The chapter closes with the suggestion that the optimal ratio of positive to negative conversations is 5 to 1.  

The 3^rd core strategy, inclusion, is explored in Chapter 5.  On a personal level, leaders are challenged to attend to their inner dialogues – “what [they] think, feel, and talk to [them]selves about” other people. (92)  Inclusive leaders reflect and think about the strengths of others rather than be judgmental.  In conversations, inclusive leaders create conditions that make it safe and invitational for all people to speak up. 

Inclusion has 2 dimensions – both wide and deep.  “Widening is the practice of extending the reach of your social network, to include more and different people”, while “deepening … is the practice of enhancing the quality and strength of relationships”. (106-107)  Effective strategies for deepening relationships are facilitating conversations between improbable pairs and practicing improbable participation.  The latter strategy involves inviting the least suited people into projects and programs.  Appreciative leaders “create a sense of ‘we’ among a diverse group of people.” (113)

In Chapter 7, leaders are offered strategies for inspiring their staffs.  One technique is to tell stories of success.  Another is the regular practice of expressing appreciation in creative and meaningful ways.  A third approach is the sharing of a compelling vision.  A vision will inspire when it is:

• Desired by your staff
• Inclusive, meeting everyone’s needs
• A believable stretch – that is, a lofty but obtainable goal;
• Requires collaboration to be achieved; and,
• Requires creativity.

The authors summarize their views on inspiration as follows: “Inspiration is evoked when people share stories of success, use elevated language, and paint compelling visions of the future.” (152)

The final core strategy, integrity, involves aligning all elements of an organization to worthy principles.   A leader demonstrates integrity by always making value-based decisions.  A leader with integrity always keeps his/her word and is relationally responsible.  Being responsible towards others means being honest, forgiving, and when appropriate, apologetic.  An appreciative leader “…follows one of the cardinal rules of improvisational theater, which is to say ‘yes and…’ even to mistakes”, turning them into opportunities. (190)
  

The authors conclude their book with three essential ways that appreciative leadership will have a positive impact:

•  It will cultivate the character of the leader that practices it, making him/her a better person
•   It will liberate other people’s creative potential; and,
• It will promote collaboration.