The Ostrich, the Peacock, and the Sheepdog

Patterns of Trustworthy Leadership

A pattern of behavior is how a person or a group repeatedly and predictably acts in situations. Seeing these patterns led to the creation of my Circle of Impact model. There are more patterns than those of the three dimensions. In this column, I am looking at patterns of behavior related to leadership trustworthiness.

The Ostrich, the Peacock, and the Sheepdog

This pattern concerns how leaders behave to elicit trust in themselves. First the behavior and second how trust is manifested.

The Ostrich lowers their head in order to avoid problems. They don’t want to think, much less think creatively. They just want to do that which they have always done. They don’t want to be confused by new ideas or questions. They trust experts and authorities to always be right. They are risk-averse and are not looking for opportunities to improve. They want to be left alone to do their job. Their thinking pattern is a mix of cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias. They are largely unteachable because they think they already know what they need to know. It can be said that they know how to run their business, but not lead it.

The Peacock walks around with its head in the clouds. They strut around saying, “Here I am! Look at me! See how cool I am! I am your leader!” This leader presents themselves as having an expert opinion on everything. If they are handsome or attractive, they are asked to speak on a variety of subjects. If you listen to what they have to say, it is rather shallow and conformist. They trust in their own self-importance. You can’t tell them anything either. They are responsible for every success and never for any failure. They take no risks that might harm their public image. They are the experts in self-promotion.¹

The Sheepdog is different. They are like the first-responders who run towards a burning building. They are constantly in touch with everything happening to their group. This is not out of insecurity, but rather as a sign of care and protection of the organization. They are watching for threats. The Sheepdog has its eyes forward-focused on the organization’s circumstances. The Sheepdog looks for the predators, the wolves, who will harm the sheep. They listen, watch, and learn. The sheepdog trusts their skills, experience, and judgment in any situation.

The Sheepdog can instill fear in people who are unsure of themselves. If you watched the film, American Sniper, you will recall the story of Chris Kyle. Early in the film, at the dinner table Chris’ father explains the meaning of the Sheepdog.

Life organizationally and socially reveals people’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities. This is why the pattern of behaviors of The Ostrich and The Peacock are ones of weakness. These people can be exploited by those who take advantage of their fragile egos. The Sheepdog watches after the weak and powerless.

Leadership Behavior

These three leaders’ leadership behavior can be summarized simply.

The Ostrich hides.

The Peacock preens.

The Sheepdog watches.

I don’t believe these characterizations are an oversimplification.

The Ostrich has skills and experience that enabled them to rise through the ranks to a position of authority.  But, they don’t like to be held accountable. They are afraid of being identified as inadequate, or worse a fraud. So they hide. They hide in their office, isolated from what is happening in the other offices or on the shop floor. They created a climate of control by creating a meeting regimen that does not ever change. It is safe, predictable, and designed to avoid creating thought. They have their head in the ground. Hiding. Letting their competitors outpace them to the forefront of their industry.  

The Peacock is a highly visible leader. You can spot them easily. They are the center of attention in any room. They glad-hand everyone. They never reveal their true thoughts because to do so means alienating someone. They too are risk-averse. There is not much to say about them.

The Sheepdog is the watcher. Eyes up, focused on the sheep, looking for wolfs who would invade the herd to harm it. You’ve heard of wolves in sheep’s clothing. The false person. The deceiver. The weaver of dissension. This is who the Sheepdog is looking for.

Patterns of Trustworthy Leadership

We want to trust. But, it doesn’t come automatically. Trust is hard to build and easy to destroy. Sometimes we trust too quickly. Other times, we delay because of our own uncertainty.

Trust is not a transaction between a leader and a group of followers. It is personal and social. It begins with respect, out of which, trust can be built. Once trust is established, then mutual accountability can be practiced.

Another way to look at the character of trust is as an expression of both the head and the heart. With the head, you have confidence that the leader will do what they say they will. With heart, you believe that person has your best interest as their best interest.

The Ostrich desires to be trusted based on the structure of authority.

The Peacock desires to be trusted as an expression of personality.

In each case, the head and heart are not joined. Respect between the leader and the organization’s followers is not present. In this sense, trust is based upon the fulfillment of the transactional requirements of employment.

The Sheepdog is different in every way. The best description of this kind of leadership is found in an analogy that Jesus gives in describing himself as the Good Shepherd of the Sheep. The Shepherd and the Sheepdog function as one, unified in their commitment to the care and protection of the sheep.

John 10:1-18

‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

This image of leadership is far different from what we see today. We see the Ostrich and the Peacock. Leaders who hide behind either the structure of the organization or their own personal celebrity. The Sheepdog and the Shepherd understand that their responsibility is to care for and watch over the sheep under their charge.

Is Jesus setting up an impossible expectation for leaders to fulfill? Or is this the wrong question?

Is this the kind of leadership that is needed? Jesus says,

“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. … The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … . I know my own and my own know me.”

This is the real nature of trustworthy leadership. A relationship between those who are called to lead organizations and those who are called to serve through their roles within the organization.

I have seen leaders who build this kind of trust. It is not self-serving. It is not about power. It is about service to the mission of the organization.

How Do We Develop Trustworthy Leadership?

How you think of yourself produces patterns of behavior that will reveal who you are. There is no hiding. As it is said, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.”

I have more conversations about leaders than I do with leaders. Their patterns of behavior are either a mask or a mirror of who they are. Like the Wizard of Oz, behind the curtain with a simulation on a screen of “The Great and Powerful Oz” who was nothing more than a common man.

How do we develop trustworthy leadership?

First, treat yourself with self-respect.

Stop hiding or showing off. Neither is what leadership constitutes.

Second, treat others with respect.

Treat the lowliest sheep with respect, and respect will be returned to you. Everything starts at the lowest point, the farthest reach, and with the most obscure. Know those people by name. Know who their spouse is, and their children. Where they vacation and their family’s history and the sheep will know your voice and follow you.

Third, build trust by recognizing the values that are shared within the organization.

As trust is gained, then tested, it is essential to trust those who follow. Don’t violate their trust by acting out of fear or opportunistic gain.

This is why so many patterns of behavior have weakened organizations, communities, and nations. Respect and trust are not present. Fear and self-importance are false substitutes for leadership.

The story Jesus tells is about himself as The Good Shepherd. It is also about the nature of leadership that is missing in our world. And yet, I suspect, we each long for leaders who would sacrifice for us to preserve the safety and well-being of our lives, our families, and our communities.

If you are in a position of leadership or aspire to lead, then consider well the importance of being a person of respect and trust. To be this person is to be a Sheepdog, a Shepherd, whose flock knows your voice and will follow you with commitment and impact.

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