Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.
So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:9
If you really want to see growth in your team or organization’s long-term effectiveness, you must prepare for succession. Preparing others to take on more leadership responsibilities will allow you to continue growing and moving to new edges of development.
Leadership reproduction is closely associated with empowerment. As you give of yourself to serve the people you lead, you can multiply yourself exponentially through the leaders that will emerge. William D. Hitt observed: “Effective leader-managers have a developmental orientation. They take a personal interest in the development of each of their people. They accept and thrive on the challenge of helping to convert potentiality into actuality.”[1] So why wouldn’t any leader want to create an environment of leadership development in their organization?
Time and Perfectionism
Some leaders do not empower and reproduce themselves effectively due to their self-imposed pressures of time and perfectionism. It takes time to mentor others and it can be frustrating sometimes when they don’t do things exactly the way you would. Of course, that can also mean they might find new and more effective ways of doing things than you would have thought of by yourself. The time invested can result in increased productivity over the long haul. (More about this in a future article on margin and overload.)
My grandfather was a carpenter—a highly skilled craftsman. He was so good, he never needed help from anyone. Once I saw him spend hours building a brace to hold a corner piece in place so he would not need an assistant to climb up on a ladder with him to hold the board while he hammered it in place. He built his house by himself, cutting every piece of lumber, nailing every nail and laying every brick. When he was 80 years old, my dad and I noticed he had set up scaffolding around his house. When we asked what was up, he said he planned to put on a new roof.
Dad and I knew he would not let us help nail the roofing on, but we asked him to let us know when he was ready and we would come clear off the old roofing and carry the shingles up for him. He thought a few seconds, then said, “I’m afraid you boys might fall off and hurt yourselves,” even though my dad had worked for years on scaffolding as a construction painter.
Granddaddy was very good at his work, but he never passed his skills on to anyone else and that was a crying shame. (By the way, he finally decided to hire a professional roofer.)
Insecurity and Fear
Some leaders do not empower others because of their own insecurity or fear of being displaced by a developing leader. But reproduction does not necessarily mean replacement. Leaders who share their leadership give power to others and can see explosive growth as they train others to also be leaders. They do not see emerging leaders as a threat, but as an extension and multiplication of their own work.
Freely You Have Been Mentored, Freely Mentor
Joshua, who led the Israelite nation as they occupied Canaan, had been mentored by Moses who recognized the gift of leadership in him. Having spent time with Moses on the mountain and in the tent of meeting, he was prepared to carry on the legacy of leadership that was passed to him. At the end of his life, Joshua gave a stirring speech calling for others to follow his example, “Choose today whom you will follow… As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” [2]He had led an exemplary life of leadership.
Unlike Moses, however, who had taken him as an assistant, Joshua did not prepare anyone to be his second in command or to take leadership after he died. This was perhaps the most serious mistake Joshua made in his leadership. Joshua could have begun training someone from the younger generation even during the forty years spent wandering in the desert. Even while he was acting as assistant to Moses, he could have been training someone else as he was also being trained.
Because of Joshua’s failure to prepare for succession, the next generation grew up without knowing their history, where they had come from or who was responsible for leading them so far. Since there was no clearly designated leader to follow Joshua, the people fell to following their own desires and definitions of right and wrong.
Hint to the Leader
You might not have the privilege of choosing your immediate successor, but you can choose to pour your life into others coming along behind you. Even if one of them is not chosen for a position of leadership, you can multiply yourself and your effectiveness through them. Choose people who choose you—people who want to learn from you and are willing to spend time with you. Take them along with you to learn along the way.
Hint to the Follower
Look for a model that you want to follow then let him or her know that you want to learn from him or her. Be sure they know you are not trying to usurp them or replace them, but that you genuinely respect them and want to learn from them. Whether you are chosen to fill a place of leadership or not, you will gain valuable insights that will help you to be more effective and productive. Start looking now for someone you can also mentor along the way.
© Dr. Larry N. Gay
February 2010
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