What Does The Flock Say?

Psalm 23:1-6

"1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Let's Talk About It

Let’s think of the job of the shepherd for a second. The job of a shepherd is to watch over his flock, make sure they are well fed, in a good environment that will help them grow, and they have to know their flock, right? They know which ones are going to try and get out of the gate, they know which ones are going to test them, and they know which ones are going to listen.

In EMS leadership, we are much like a shepherd. Whether you’re a chief, a captain, an FTO, or just someone’s partner for the day, your job is very similar. You watch after your shift or your partner, you make sure they are well fed (because a hangry partner is never something anyone wants to deal with), you want a strong environment that they feel comfortable growing in, and you know which employees are going to be more difficult versus the ones that are always willing to go the extra mile.

See, to be considered a good shepherd, you look at the sheep. Are they well-groomed? Do they have nice pastures? Are they malnourished? You can’t just walk up to a sheep and be like, “Yo, how’s that guy with the big hook,” right? When you want to be considered a good shepherd, your sheep reflect it. I can tell you all day that I’m a good shepherd, but if my pastures are muddy, my sheep are matted, and there is no water for them to drink, that is the actual reflection of my skills and ability as a shepherd.

But see, David, he had a good shepherd. David is relating himself to a sheep, and our Lord is his shepherd. He is so proud of the Lord being his shepherd that he is BRAGGING on him! He said that with his shepherd, he lacks nothing, NOTHING! David is able to rest. He is able to put his guard down and REST! We all know once you reach a certain timeframe in public safety, “rest” isn’t what it used to be. He says his shepherd refreshes his soul! I don’t know about you, but there are very few people on this earth that refresh my soul.

David even acknowledges the hard times. He said even when I am walking through the darkest valley, I will not fear the evil around me because you are my protector and I trust you.

Now, imagine your role in your agency. Would your “flock” brag on you like David does? Or would they claim you are a false prophet? See, if I walk around telling everyone how great I am as a leader, but I do nothing for my people, they are going to show it. The lack of respect for the agency, the names associated with it, and the famous quote “y’all hiring” is what reflects you as a leader when they look to your “flock.”

If you want to be a good leader, you’ve got to be a good shepherd. And what better way to be a good shepherd than to learn from the best one? They don’t teach you that in a textbook, do they? Imagine if someone asks your staff one day, “How do you feel about ____ as your Chief,” and they turn around and start bragging that they have the best chief in the world. “My Chief looks after us. My Chief provides for us. Even when times are hard, our Chief guides us and walks us through it. My Chief always has my best interest.”

Can you imagine that? As a chief myself, my heart would literally explode. But we have got to stay focused on the mission. The qualities of our good shepherd are what reflect a strong and trusted leader. We’ve got to trust that He is walking us through the hard morale issues, the tough cultures, the horrific scenes. He is there through it all, and once we realize that, we can rest. But if we keep learning from leaders that preach great leadership, but their flock doesn’t reflect it, we will never make it out of this rut in public safety.

So at the end of the day, reflect on what kind of shepherd you are. Are you a strong shepherd? Is your flock proud of you? Or do you just look like some idiot with a stick?

-AR