Page 228 - The Bible On Leadership

214 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP

developing the organization and the individual executives needed to
lead it. For an effective succession vehicle, we might also look to the
people of the Bible. The transition from leader to leader was sometimes
smooth and sometimes rocky, but they managed to find and develop
the right leaders at the right time, keep the organization’s mission and
vitality intact, and keep their ‘‘leadership engine’’ well-oiled and pow-
erful.

LETTING GO/LEAVING A LEGACY

Perhaps the biggest test for leaders is their ability to ‘‘let go,’’ surrender-
ing the reins of power to well-prepared successors. Mature leaders real-
ize when the time is near for them to leave the stage, and they anticipate
this by gradually transferring the trappings and the reality of power to
their prote ´ge ´s.
Moses had angered God because he impulsively struck a rock in
anger, and so his departure was hastened and he was not allowed to lead
the Israelites into the Promised Land. Surely this was not an easy hand-
off for Moses, but he handled it in a mature manner. His eyes filled with
tears as he climbed Mount Nebo to view the land he would not enter,
but when he descended, he graciously transferred the mantle of power
to Joshua, neither protesting nor interfering with Joshua’s actions and
staying behind to die in the desert. Before he did so, he blessed the
tribes and he blessed Joshua as well: ‘‘So Joshua . . . was filled with the
spirit of wisdom because Moses had lain hands on him. So the Israelites
listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.’’ (Deut.
34:9)
That’s an example of a clean, smooth transition. But some leaders do
not let go so easily. David Ulrich notes that ‘‘when leaders linger, stay-
ing on boards, keeping offices, consulting . . . very often these well-
intentioned efforts backfire’’ and adds that a CEO should leave with
honor and dignity, transferring ‘‘relationship equity’’ to the new CEO
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and ‘‘getting out of his own way . . .’’ Moses did not stay on Joshua’s