From Shepherd To Ruler Leadership Lessons Inspired By David

David is one of the most perfect characters on which to do a study of leadership. We can learn a lot from David’s life. We can learn what to do and what not to do. I think both are important. No one is perfect and learning those tough lessons on someone else’s behalf is as important as learning the more positive ones. David was God’s anointed. He started as a shepherd and through God’s leadership, he became a ruler of a nation and a shepherd over His people. David did not set out to be Israel’s king. He did not set out to ‘be a leader.’ He was thrust into circumstances not of his making. He went through his own crucible time and time again. Through each experience he put more tools in his toolbox so to speak. Although not perfect by any measure, his zeal for God and faith in God became the standard that all future kings of Israel would be measured against. We can learn a lot from current and prior leaders, regardless of where we find them. Like the cook making a stew, you choose which ingredients and how much to use, and learn what works and what doesn’t work for you along the way as you perfect your recipe.

Teams, organizations, and institutions rise and fall on leadership. The simplest definition of leadership, and the one I prefer, is leadership is about influence. Most people think they can define leadership – good and bad leadership – but you definitely know it when you see it. Also, most people can easily tell when leadership is absent. In this study of the leadership lessons inspired by the judges, from the book of Judges and 1 Samuel, I will highlight situations when there was good, bad, or no leadership present. The common theme in the book of Judges starts with apostasy, oppression by a foreign antagonist, Israel’s appeal to God, God’s raising up of a ‘deliverer,’ and the peace that follows, and oftentimes the turn back to apostasy. I love the study of leadership, have been in the midst of it my whole adult life, will study it the rest of my life, and believe it is of highest importance regardless of environment.

A man of destiny, Moses was born to lead a nation through impossible situations, despite not starting his primary mission for eighty years. Leaders and leadership are found everywhere, past and present. There are great examples everywhere you look, if you know what to look for. There are differences as well as commonalities in all leaders that we study. Moses is a phenomenal example to learn from. He is one of the most-mentioned characters in the Old and New Testaments. God held Moses in the highest regard, over all other prophets, and he was the only prophet to speak to God face-to-face. Born in the most inauspicious of environments, under a death warrant by Pharaoh, raised as an Egyptian for his first forty years. Then Moses escaped to the furnace of the Midian wilderness where I believe his leadership, character, and humility were honed for his God-given mission that would last the rest of his lifetime. His final forty years was as unquestioned leader of the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage to the precipice of the promised land. Studying the inspired leadership lessons of a man who lived one hundred and twenty years is as formidable as it is thrilling. This journey will be enlightening, exciting, and energizing.

These lessons, these proverbs are the product of nearly four decades of experiences as an adult. Many of these have been forged in the crucible of life. Having a father that’s a Sicilian-American, U.S. Marine, and a Catholic gave me a phenomenal foundation of wisdom. This wisdom was honed, put through the furnace, and forged under great pressure, during a 21+ years career in Special Operations. I have continued on a path toward better wisdom, through trial and error, introspection, and validation in my civilian career, now close to 20 years and counting. With my 17 books (counting this one) I have adjusted, added new ones, deleted ones that no longer apply, and perfected many of these. These lessons, these proverbs, are a peak behind the curtain. The title, The Red Pill on Wisdom, is a metaphor for the choice between the brutal truths, autonomy, and understanding of reality. We may not like it, we may love it, we may not agree with it, or we may embrace it. That’s the point.

The Shepherd Who Would be King chronicles the career of David, one of the best-known figures in the Bible, from his humble origins as a shepherd boy to his slaying of the giant Goliath, to his triumphant crowning success as king of Israel. David's story is that of a career executive, and in it Richard D. Phillips sees reflected the trials and triumphs that mark our own lives in today's business world. While following his career, the reader witnesses the fashioning of a leader, as David's heart is shaped by his faith in God, his love for God's people, and his passion for real and lasting achievement. Despite his own flaws and the venomous opposition of many, David remained true to God and his people, and through this one an entire nation found its purpose and identity. The lessons in The Shepherd Who Would be King are clear, biblically based, and will challenge and equip men and women to raise their aspirations and heighten the impact of their leadership.

Today's professionals need reliable models to teach them how to become better leaders. In this remarkable book, leadership experts Blaine McCormick and David Davenport introduce us to a new kind of leader by offering a new image of leadership--the leader as shepherd. Drawing on the wisdom of the timeless Twenty-Third Psalm, the authors provide professionals with ancient wisdom for grappling with today's leadership challenges. Shepherd Leadership offers a much-needed lens through which to consider our own leadership as well as the leadership of those around us. This book teaches us important lessons about leadership: we can be vigilant without being adversarial, we can serve without being passive, and we can guide without commanding. Shepherd Leadership offers a visionary new model for transforming leadership practices in both corporate and small business settings. This is whole-person leadership. It's not just a matter of thinking or doing things a certain way. It's a fully integrated life--a matter of head and hand and heart. It's a way of thinking and doing and being. Blaine McCormick and David Davenport inspire leaders with a fresh interpretation of this familiar spiritual text, helping all to integrate their spiritual life with their working life through a unique blend of timeless wisdom and contemporary business leadership strategy.

This book reviews the life of King David of Israel, from a leadership perspective. David was the second king of Israel, and doubtless one of the greatest leaders in the Bible. In studying David's life, the author has discovered that he was by no means a perfect leader. But despite his flaws, David remains a leader worthy of emulation. In writing this book, the author has listed the good and not so good leadership lessons eminent in David's life. His is a story that will inspire all.