Passing It On: Growing Your Future Leaders (21 page)

You want someone who submits as Jesus submitted to John’s authority to baptize.

Matthew 3:13–15
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized
by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied,
“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

John implies when he talks to Jesus, “You are greater than I am,” but Jesus told him that was not true, recognizing John as
the authorized forerunner of the Messiah. He seems to say, “I do not have the authority, so I have to submit to the one who
is introducing me.” When we desire another’s authority, we should not get it. When we desire to serve the leader who has authority,
we attract authority.

Believes he or she is wiser than you are
. You want people who are not trapped by the past to take the organization forward. No one knows everything, and no one will
ever know everything one needs to know. We need to identify people who are perpetual learners, who are willing to change,
be changed, and bring change, even to discard their own sacred knowledge when it is inadequate or irrelevant.

Some say they will help you and serve you, but they are always criticizing you, questioning your methods. They are telling
you they know a better way to do it. They are actually trying to diminish your confidence. Such a person may say, “Show me
how to do that. I really want to learn it.” You say, “Okay, meet me on Wednesday at three o’clock and I will give you your
first lesson.” When she shows up, she keeps interrupting you to tell you what she thinks you should be doing and explaining
to you what you really mean. “I think we should be doing it this way,” she says because she thinks you do not know what you
are doing. These are signs of someone who will undo everything you accomplished as soon as you are out of the way.

Do not choose experts either. This is especially important in these times. The word
expert
is very frightening to me because traditionally it defines a person who is so well versed in a subject that he or she no
longer feels the need to learn anything else. That is a dangerous person. The bottom line is that you cannot teach someone
who thinks he is already smarter than you are, and you cannot trust him to be the caretaker of your vision. Such a person
is already thinking, “If you were not here, I would be where you are. I should be in charge. They should have picked me. I
know how to run this place better than she does.”

Expertise is particularly treacherous. I constantly fight against becoming an expert because I do not ever want to be so impressed
with myself that I
stop considering myself a student. This is why I discourage choosing “knowit-alls” as potential successors.

A case in point is the global crisis that rendered economists ineffective. This is why they have been so silent. They were
experts, but experts in a system that did not work anymore. The crisis cancelled out many of the books they wrote and the
theories they cherished. So what is expertise? Expertise is a frozen knowledge that could melt away with new experiences.
Never choose an “expert” as a successor. Choose a student of life who understands that what he knows is not all there is to
know. Mentor one who is willing to learn new things.

Right now you probably have people in your organization who are jockeying for position, trying to get rid of others to eliminate
the competition for succession and conniving to narrow the field. Jesus had to put up with people like that too.

Jesus had twelve men around Him, but of the twelve, He identified three to work with personally—Peter, James, and John. Of
those three, Jesus identified one that He really trusted—Peter. Even though He pulled James and John into His inner circle,
He was concerned because they had some defects. For example, James and John wanted power. They also thought they were wiser
than Jesus. They essentially told Christ, “Look, there are some people down the street who are not operating the way we are
operating. Let me give you some advice, Jesus. Call down fire and burn them up.” They wanted to destroy people who did not
welcome Jesus. James and John loved His power.

Luke 9:49–56
“Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” As the time approached for him to be taken up
to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get
things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples
James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned
and rebuked them, and they went to another village.

James and John were not qualified to succeed Jesus because they wanted power. They admired Jesus’ power and authority, and
they wanted to tell Him how to use it. They thought they were wiser than their leader.

Mark 10:35–37
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in
your glory.”

He told them they did not have what it takes to drink from His cup, and He did not choose them to succeed Him.

Now to review:

Never choose one who:

•  Loves your vision.

•  Loves and admires your gift.

•  Wants to emulate you.

•  Wants your power.

•  Wants your position of authority.

•  Believes he or she is wiser than you are.

T
AKE A FEW
minutes to consider who around you exhibits the kind of attitudes and behaviors I just described. Cross them off your list.
You may think that eliminates all the people you were considering. Look around your department, your company, your ministry.
Who is left? Consider that quiet person over there in the corner who has been with you for a while, has never moved up to
any significant position, has never been pushy, never asked for anything, but just loves what he or she is doing and loves
being around you. Keep an eye on that one as a potential successor.

Choose the one who:

Loves you and not your vision
. The one who loves you will carry on your vision and protect your legacy. Jesus and Moses by process of elimination chose
the ones who loved them.

John 21:17
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time,
“Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Numbers 27:15–18
Moses said to the L
ORD
, “May the L
ORD
, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community
to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the L
ORD
’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” So the L
ORD
said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.”

Search out individuals whom you have discerned have a deep love for you. Whether it is in politics, business, religion, or
a family, you have to identify the person who loves you. It may be one, two, or three people, but identify those who genuinely
love you. You can tell who they are. Do not give the baton to the person you love, give it to the person who loves you. The
person you love might not love you. The person who loves you is the one to entrust with your future.

“The person who loves you more than your power, your authority, and your gifts is the right choice.”

Loves you and not your gift
. The ones who love you more than your gift should not be so hard to spot. People like this are with you in the bad times
as well as the good.

You mentored them, and they often tell you how much it meant to them and what they learned from you. They hang around because
they like you, not because you are famous or rich. Even when your gift has not paid off or has evaporated, they are there.
They were there before you were a household name, and they are still there now that most people have forgotten who you were
and what you accomplished. Many people once enjoyed your hospitality because you were a good cook and generous host when you
could afford to be. Then when you were out of work and had nothing to share, only the few who truly loved you invited you
to their homes or took you out to lunch. They still provide for you. When you can no longer pay them a salary, they volunteer
to do some of the work for nothing. You used to give them rides when they were young and had no car, now when your eyes are
failing and you can no longer drive, they chauffer you wherever you need to go. When you can no longer take care of them or
do anything for them, they minister to you. They will have the kind of loyalty Ruth demonstrated toward her mother-in-law
when the good times were over and she insisted the younger widow go back to her people.

Ruth 1:16–18
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will
stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the L
ORD
deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined
to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Protects what you have
. This person will protect you personally, your family, your staff, and your property. He does not covet what you have and
will fend off those who do. He will protect you at his own expense. Do you have people like that around you? The protector
will not join in criticism against you and will protect and defend you against attacks or pettiness. You want to give the
power to someone who defends you as Joshua tried to defend Moses (see Num. 11:27–28) and as Peter rushed to defend Jesus (see
John 18:10–11). Neither wanted what the mentor had. They wanted to protect the mentor.

Loves you more than your power
. Reward those around you who are particularly loyal. They are the ones who will not divulge sensitive information about your
business or office. They will not tolerate gossip about you or threats to your good name. They are as protective of you as
they would be of their own child. They are not yes-men or -women either. They will tell you what you need to hear, not what
they think you want to hear. Their love is for you as a person. If you are a rich person who bestows lavish gifts on your
friends, you will have many friends. If you are an elected official who has been in a position to distribute favors, many
people will want to associate with you. Just watch what happens if you lose the money or the power. Who loves you now? Humans
naturally gravitate to power. We love being around a powerful person. We want to know powerful people because we like to be
in the environment of power. Power is intoxicating. Some of the people around you may worship your power. They are impressed
by it. They love the way you influence people. They like to tell everybody they know you. Up to a point, that is good, but
what happens when your power diminishes? What happens when you cannot or are not willing to use your power to help them? Who
is still left in the room an hour after the election results come in showing that you—after many terms
in office—have lost by a landslide? Who will be with you a month or a year later? Those who love you for who you are—not what
you were or could do—will still be there, like those who stood by the convicted, disgraced, and tortured Jesus as He hung
on the cross (see John 19:25). God usually provides someone. This person will work to get you back in office, help you rebuild
your power base, or just be there to hold your hand and listen to your sorrows. While you are still in the limelight, it is
important to identify those who have this kind of love for you. You want to mentor them and see them succeed you.

Is willing to die for you
. Not too many people will qualify here, but this is important. When I say die, it could be literally, but it also could mean
people who are willing to allow their own ambitions to die. They are willing to set aside their own ambitions, their own interests,
and their own preferences for you. They are willing to give up privileges, a birthright, for your sake. You have to ask, “Would
they die for me? Would they defend me when everybody else is on the attack?” Peter literally was willing to die for his Master
(see Luke 22:33). You want to give the company, the ministry, or the government to the one who is willing to die for you—not
for the vision, for you. Love for you and yours will keep your successor in the path you envisioned for achieving your vision
and preserving your legacy beyond your lifetime.

Would take a risk for your benefit
. The one who loves you will be willing to risk his reputation, his security or job for your sake. If your company were failing,
the one who loves you would invest her life savings to help you save it. If someone unfairly accused you of a crime, those
loyal to you would risk their good names to testify on your behalf. The one who loves you will sacrifice his own comfort,
time, or even money to be with you and to help you achieve your goal, as Peter did by standing by during the capture, trial,
and conviction of Jesus. Though Martin Luther King Jr.’s untimely death left him with no clear successor, during his life
he was surrounded by a number of aides who risked their lives for him and with him, men like John Lewis, Andy Young, and Ralph
Abernathy who modeled nonviolence in the face of violence and went to jail many times. The Bible offers Joseph as one example
of a willing risk taker. Out of his love for God and because an angel told him to, Joseph defied custom and gambled on marrying
a woman who was carrying a baby that was not his.