Anchor Scripture
"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." — 1 Peter 5:2-3
Core Kingdom Truth
People give their best to leaders who genuinely care about them as people.
Devotional
Marcus had run high-performing teams for years using a simple formula: clear expectations, real accountability, fair rewards. It worked by every metric that showed up on a dashboard.
Then he lost three of his best people in six months. Exit interviews said similar things: "I never felt like he actually knew me."
He was stunned. He knew their performance. He knew their numbers. He'd just never learned their kids' names.
1 Peter 5 describes leadership as shepherding — which is an intensely personal image. A shepherd knows the flock individually. Knows which ones are struggling. Knows which ones need space and which ones need proximity. It's not management from a distance. It's presence up close.
Marcus started asking different questions in one-on-ones. Not just "what are you working on" but "how are you actually doing?" The conversations were awkward at first. Then they weren't.
Twelve months later, his retention was the best in the division. But more importantly, his team trusted him — not just with their work, but with their struggles.
Results follow love. Not the other way around.
This Week's Practice
In your next one-on-one or team interaction, ask one genuine question about the person — not the project. "How are you doing — really?" Then listen without redirecting to work. That's leading with love.
Closing Prayer
Lord, make me a leader who genuinely sees people. Not resources. Not headcount. People. Give me the capacity to care in a way that costs me something — and that points my team toward You.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
