6 Ways community shepherds tend flock

I’m reading a book titled “Edge” by fiction author Jeffrey Deaver. The story line centers on a personal security expert whose job it is to protect innocents and whistle-blowers (along with the occasional bad-guy-turned-informant) until they can safely deliver their damning testimony to the appropriate state or federal officials. Once the beans are spilled on record, the threat to bad guys cemented, the innocents are presumed to no longer be at risk.

The good guy, the protector, is referred to as a shepherd. The term seems a bit random (especially since the bad guys are either “lifters” or “hitters” and I suggest you avoid both) and low-tech, especially in context with all of the wizardry in the characters’ pockets, pens, and personal protection devices. But as some things will, the “shepherd” concept stuck in my mind. He minds a flock, right? A flock is, in some ways, like a community (well, without the self-selection and ability to walk upright).

Hmmm. Community shepherd. There’s something there….Then I went to bed.

But the shepherd idea nugget is still there, rattling around in my brain. So I fleshed out the community shepherd analogy a bit.

A community shepherd:

• Always monitoring the landscape for potential threats.
• Scans the landscape for strategic opportunities; mindful of places and activities offering distinct advantage (like a high bluff) or potential risk (like a narrow, rocky ravine).
• Is mindful that one or more of the members may wonder, and have a plan for regrouping the lot.
• Works incrementally toward an objective (another pasture rich with resources, a corral with a barn, etc.). Ensures daily sustenance and protection leading to longer-term goals.
• Has a quick mind, capable of assembling and disassembling bits of information quickly to choose routes, gauge temperament and attitudes, and respond appropriately on an individual or group basis.
• Is a gentle leader who ensures the flock gets what it needs.

No, community members are not sheep. I’m definitely not suggesting that. They’re not black sheep or white sheep, nor do (good) community shepherds look at them simply assets to be weighed and measured.

I think almost anyone in a role that directly impacts or indirectly touches the customer, from sales to service to marketing to distribution to billing, bears the responsibility of acting as a community shepherd.

It matters not the size of the flock, but the level of commitment to serve it.

Image courtesy of Jo@net on Flickr.