Long-view Leadership, Part 4: Long-view leaders let go

Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear a tragic story with haunting similarities: another pastor destroying the church that he loves so much by staying in place too long; another Christian leader clinging tenaciously to power to the dismay of those around him; another non-profit leader making a comeback in an effort to reclaim past success. Why do so many successful leaders struggle to let go? Answers to that question can be complex, but they relate to being a long-view leader.

Why do so many leaders struggle to let go?

There can be valid reasons. Some leaders really do make every effort to develop a succession plan and carry it out. These plans don’t always succeed: maybe the right successor just can’t be found, maybe the potential successor turns out to be the wrong person, or maybe the potential successor walks away partway through the transition process. These kinds of things happen. But sometimes (maybe often?), the blame for a failed transition lies squarely on the shoulders of the outgoing leader.

When good enough never is.

In a way, it is understandable. Driven leaders strive for excellence. They set a high bar of excellence for themselves and for others. This high standard propels their church or ministry or non-profit forward. But then when the time comes to find a successor, that standard of excellence can become an obstacle – especially if excellence is equated with “how I did it”. No successor will ever continue to do everything exactly like it was done before: and they shouldn’t. Change does need to happen from one generation to another.

“In my own generation…”

The fact is that God does use different people in different ways to accomplish his purposes. Paul made this point while teaching in a synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia in Acts 13:36: “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers…” Did God use David greatly? Absolutely. But even the towering figure of David eventually passed of the scene after serving God’s purpose for his life. Leaders come and go. But God’s plans continue.

Truth be told, strong leaders sometimes struggle to envision a future in which they themselves are not playing a key role. The idea that another leader would come in and make changes can be down-right offensive. But that is short-sighted. A long-view leader understands that the right kind of change as necessary and actually encourages it.

When is it time?

So how can we know when it is time to turn something we love over to the next generation? For starters, it’s probably sooner than we think. A strong leader tends to be the last one to accept that reality. Here are some signs that it might be time to let go. 1) When you have accomplished the tasks set before you. (This obviously means you have taken time to clearly define those tasks.) 2) When you have prepared the next generation. (This takes a good bit of time and intentionality.) 3) When trusted people around you see that it is time. (This means you have to surround yourself with people who will be honest with you: no place for “yes men” here. You must invite them to tell you things you don’t want to hear.)

Exiting gracefully…or not

We’ve all heard stories about high-level athletes and coaches who have a hard time knowing when to quit: like Michael Jordan who retired, then unretired, then retired, then unretired again. Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr tells how his mentor, coaching legend Gregg Popovich, once called him with the news that he had finally decided to retire. A week later, Coach Pop signed an extension with the San Antonio Spurs. He kept coaching until a stroke forced him to take a leave of absence, but still vowed to return. Eventually, people who genuinely loved him had to show him the door.

God used Winston Churchill to save his country during World War 2 – and a legitimate case could be made that the free world would have fallen without his strong leadership through one of the greatest crises in modern civilization. But shortly after seeing victory, Churchill was removed from office when his coalition government fell apart. For six long years, he worked to regain power. But he struggled greatly after finally returning as Prime Minister in 1951, suffering from poor health and an aging body. He was forced to resign in April 1955.

A question of trust

So we return to the question: why do so many successful leaders struggle to let go? Maybe they don’t trust the next generation. Or maybe they just don’t think God can get his work done without them. Every Christian leader would do well to remember the personal counsel that a pastor friend shared with me: “I always remember that I am not essential and I am not exceptional.”[1] God doesn’t any trouble envisioning the future of his ministry long after I am gone.

But these are all various forms of fear. And perhaps the most paralyzing fear is sourced in uncertainty about my own future. Maybe I have a hard time even imaging life without my leadership role. Maybe my identity has become so intermeshed in my position that the thought of losing that position throws me into a genuine identity crisis. In times like this, I need to remind myself that God doesn’t see me first as a pastor or a director or a president: my identity centers on my relationship to him. I’m a saint and a servant. And as a saint and a servant, I can be confident that God isn’t done with me. He has plenty more for me to do, serving his purpose in this generation. Being a long-view leader means knowing when to let go, trusting God to take care of his work. In the final analysis, long-view leadership is Christ-like leadership.

If you’d like to read the whole four-part series, begin here: Long-view vs. Short-view

[1] Credit to pastor and biblical counselor Jim Newcomer, Calvary Baptist Church, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Image by Martin Tajmr from Pixabay