In one of my classes now, I'm am on a group project. Each group has a Biblical leader, and we are supposed to put together a Power Point, with leadership characteristics, styles and attributes that particular leader had and used. My group has David. Through some of my research into David as a leader I came across a letter, that paraphrases Psalm 23. I thought it was really cool!
Dear Mr. Sheppard,
I write you this letter to thank you for all you’ve done for me. I also want to let you know just how much your leadership has impacted my life. For years I thought our company was just lucky but then I began to realize that good leadership had made all the difference.
I think one of the highest compliments I can give you is that I have not known a day of want while working here. My family has never gone hungry and we’ve always had enough to live out our dreams. It so easily could have been otherwise. You made good things happen. You somehow created opportunity when there seemed to be none. And then you shared it all with us. You just never stopped taking care of your people, listening to our hundred and one requests…and handling our thousand and one complaints.
This might sound weird, but this place has been something like a church to me. I guess I’m trying to say that I’m a better person for having worked here. You picked me up when I failed and set me back on my feet. You corrected me those times I crossed over the line and gave me another chance to show I could do it the right way. And it was always a pleasant work environment. Not everyone could say that their work has nourished their soul, but mine has.
Everyone knows that you’ve kept us walking the straight and narrow at this company. If my name was on the company letterhead, I know I’d do the same. And that kind of caretaking has really paid off. Just mentioning your name opens doors for us. People trust it and more than one person asked me about getting a job here because of this. You wouldn’t think people are attracted to the straight and narrow, but they always are in the end.
I want you to know that I’ve passed on the lessons I’ve learned at this company to my children and I’m certain that this wisdom will serve them well throughout their life. I know my life has been better because I’ve been here and I hope they work here one day, too. I love this place and I’m going to stay here as long as I can.
Love,
David
The book Shepherd Leadership by Blaine McCormick and David Davenport introduces people to the idea of reading Psalm 23 as a leadership text. For many, Psalm 23 is a beloved psalm of comfort. The authors also believe that it is a psalm celebrating the relationship between a leader and a follower (or a shepherd and a sheep).
Relating Psalm 23 to the business world, it could be asked, "If your followers wrote a poem about you, what would it say?" Though employees today would rarely write a poem to their supervisor or boss, it's not uncommon for them to pen a letter.
What if King David had written a letter instead of a poem? How might it have read? How might it read in the 21st century's corporate environment?