I grew up in the paradigm that leaders lead. They are the boss. They decide what to do. When to do it. And how
to do it.
And this is the image I took with me to the mountains in France as a young shepherd in November 2012.
However, this image changed. Or to be more precise: this image was changed. By my new environment and the
challenges it posed and the potential it offered.
What I soon realized was that leadership is not a one-man show. It’s a dance. With the dancing partners coming
and going. And the fact that we don’t always get to select the music that is played. In fact, this is a rarity !
And if the truth were really to be told, leadership has indeed very little to do with the leader. It is a process. Where
the space is held for magic to happen.
As Lao Tzu (5-4 Century B.C.E.) said:

A leader is best,
when people barely know he exists,
not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
worse when they despise him.
But a good leader, who talks little,
when his task is done,
his aim fulfilled, they will say:
We did it ourselves.

Shepherding – like leadership – is a dance. With the ecosystem. With the soil. With the plants. With the animals
… sheep and dogs alike.
So, why not join us on the hills above Saint Martial to gain an insight or two into leadership from a totally different
perspective.

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