IMO, there's nothing better than being able to just call 'em up to you, walk ahead of 'em, and have 'em follow. I used to have a Border Collie dog that would always work on that far side of the herd from me, continuously working to bring the herd up to me (that's the natural bred in instinct of the breed). That was when we had "herding cattle"... that were used to being pushed. The dog taught me the value of NOT having to go around back and try to "chase" cattle. Now that I'm rotational grazing, I no longer have a dog.
Last Friday we penned and sorted through 275 head, weaning calves onto a semi, sorting off preg cows that are going to calve soon onto a semi, etc. To get them into the corral.... I just rolled hay into it ONLY, then went back with the tractor and a bale on it back to the cows a mile away... and called them from inside the cab to follow me. Drove just ahead of the lead cows, right up through the corral, and shut the gate on the "out end" when I got through. Mile long cow train coming behind, guy with a pickup playing drag. They got about halfway to the corral, and I see (from a half mile away) they're trying to push them too hard at the back. He had the two truckers (who DON'T know how to work cattle BTW) with him... they had gotten out on foot and were trying to keep them together and moving too fast... waving their arms, yelling at 'em... which just got the cows wary and wondering what's up. I jumped in the tractor and ran back down the road (alongside of the field where the cows were) about a quarter mile toward them. Yelled over at them to back off and give 'em time/room. Left the tractor sitting on the road, walked ahead of the lagging group, calling them... and telling (scolding???) the truckers to back off and walk out to the side much wider if they felt they had to be out there.... The cows settled down, and followed me right up into the corral, without further incident.
If we had tried to PUSH them into that corral, I guarantee we would have had a wreck.