Passing It On: Growing Your Future Leaders (14 page)

Good leaders reproduce leaders.

Mentor others to break the cycle of inadequate preparation of leaders.

Affirm others and make room for mavericks.

L
EADERS HAVE AUTHORITY
. They are authorized to use their gifts. Authority is related to the word
authorize
. It is also from the root word
author
. This word means one who is the founder or creator of something. Author refers to the creator. Leaders are born when they
find their authority. They find their authority when they find their gift. Another word that attaches itself to authority
is authentic. A leader is a person who has found the thing that is so natural for him, so authentic, that when he is doing
it, he is simply being himself. A real person will become a leader. Being real—just being yourself—makes you a leader.

That is why true leaders do not work for money. They work for fun. Money follows. Authenticity will always find prosperity.
When you are authentic, the money and the people seek after you.

Study the great people in the world today, the people we call great. They are simply having fun. When the television interviewer
Charlie Rose asked the actor Morgan Freeman if he would ever tire of acting, he said, “No, I am just having fun.”

The greatest leader of all time, the ultimate leader Jesus Christ, showed us the purpose of authority is to release authority.
I recalled earlier that Jesus informed His students that He had been granted “all authority in heaven and earth.” Then He
turned around and delegated it to them (see Matt. 28:18–20). One of the
greatest challenges to human nature is the management of power. You got that promotion so you could release other people’s
authority.

Authentic authority releases the authority of other people
.

Let me put it another way. Good leaders employ people. Great leaders
deploy
people. Ordinary leaders gather people around them. Great leaders distribute them. Go into the world. Go. Great leaders love
to delegate.

Authentic leaders are not afraid of the success and growing authority of their protégés.

The apostle Paul understood this. He said,

Philippians 2:22
But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

The apostle John understood this too. He charged Timothy to continue the work:

1 Timothy 6:13–14, 20
In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the
good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ… Timothy,
guard what has been entrusted to your care.

In 3 John 2–4, he says:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly,
when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children walk in truth. (
KJV
)

Jesus Himself told the disciples they would do “even greater things” than the works He had been doing (John 14:12).

The purpose of authority is to transfer it, release it, and empower others. Most of us become nervous when people who have
been under our influence
begin to prosper. It exposes our insecurities. Others might see our deficits. If the success of others makes you insecure,
you have not yet achieved the level of authentic leadership.

When Jesus spoke to His team after they failed to cast out the boy’s demons, the questions He asked were intriguing ones.
“How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Matt. 17:17). He was really saying, “Look, problems will
be coming your way many times. Do not depend on me.” He was training them to stop depending on Him. It was as if He said,
“I am working on you. I am training you. I am developing you, but I am not going to do it forever.”

Insecure leaders become nervous when people around them are becoming better, but authentic, secure leaders are always training
those around them to be better than they are. I challenge you to do that. Imagine that I run this department. I am the manager.
I am in charge, and I tell the folks in my department, “Look, I do not want to be with you too much longer, so learn quickly.”
I think that is what Jesus meant.

“The purpose of authority is to transfer it, release it, and empower others.”

Now the average insecure leader today has a different attitude. The attitude is, “I am not going anywhere. You might as well
just forget this spot. You are not taking this away from me. I’ve been trying to get here for twenty years. I’m finally here,
and I’m staying here. How long are you willing to wait for this? Do not hold your breath.” The secure leaders turn the questions
around: “How soon can you be ready? What would it take to get you up to speed to take over? I want to shift more of the responsibility
to you. I need to move on to something else. I want you to take my place.” If you think that way, you are an authentic leader—a
leader who has found value within. True leaders bring value to the position, and when they leave, their colleagues may miss
them but they can accept the successor. If you bring value to the job, you are going to be the last one anyone would want
to leave.

Jesus, the ultimate leader, told His students that it was better for them that He left (see John 16:7). True leaders fully
understand that they are transitional. True leaders are aware of their dispensability and make an intentional exit to their
next assignment. It is emotionally and psychologically
healthy for leaders to accept that leadership is a temporary privilege. The leadership perspective of Jesus Christ and His
transitional thinking is a model for leaders of our day. He stands out as the standard for the mentality of authentic leadership
that elevates the debate for succession thinking.

True leaders are not married to their titles or positions and are fully conscious of the temporary nature of their leadership
role. Imagine our contemporary leaders selling the idea that their goal is to leave their position of authority and pass it
on to their followers. This is a foreign thought to most of our leaders today, and I hope the example of Jesus inspires future
leaders to adjust their philosophy.

The greatest example of leadership in history, Jesus Christ, constantly reminded His followers that He intended to leave and
pass on all of His responsibilities to them. What a way to think! When you start your next staff meeting, try saying, “Today
I want to start the agenda by talking about my departure. Let me just say that this place will become better when I leave.
It will be better for all of you when I leave here.”

Jesus, the great leader, was walking on the water one day when one of His followers asked, “Can I come?” That is a dangerous
question.

Matthew 14:28
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

Here you are in the president’s office, at the top of the company, and one of the trainees comes in the door and says, “Mrs.
President, can I sit there? Teach me how to do your job.”

The implications of this request from a student of Jesus to attempt the very act that the teacher was performing was the heart
of a mentee to experience how the leader did things. In essence, this was the only student from among the twelve who responded
as an effective mentee. He also further defined the relationship with their mentor. The responsibility is upon the mentee
to pursue the mentor in order to benefit from the relationship, but an authentic leader will engender that response.

This desire and hunger to learn and to make a demand on the wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom of the mentor encourages
the mentor to expose the mentee to resources that can assist in his or her further personal development. It is important to
note that the response of the mentor was positive, immediate, and daring. He simply said, “Come” (see Matt. 14:29). Mentors
will always invite the mentee who pursues them to experience their world. Mentors will teach only what mentees want to learn.

The statement, “Tell me to come,” also indicates Peter’s (mentee in this instance) willingness to enter the world, the knowledge,
and the experience of the mentor. However, this question will always challenge and expose the level of maturity, self-confidence,
and security of the leader. As a business leader, a consultant, and a pastor, I have had this question asked of me many times,
including by individuals within my own organization. My response is a feeling of excitement, confidence, and relief. The more
I am able to share my knowledge, experience, and environment, the more I am set free to progress to greater heights and into
uncharted territories for my own life. If I teach the mentee to walk on water, I can move on to walk on air. As a pastor,
I want to gather around me those to whom I can delegate and eventually transfer my responsibilities. My call may be permanent,
but my position is not.

Tomorrow’s leaders are already around me. Every chance I get, I push them and keep testing everybody. People around you can
always do more than you are allowing them to do. True leaders rejoice when their trainees become more effective than they
are. That is the heart of authentic leadership. We become happy when our staff members are doing things that we do and are
doing it even better than we could.

When you are a leader who knows who you are, why you were born, and what you came here to do, you know that no one can replace
you. Other people’s success is proof of your success in leading them.

The purpose of authority is to release authority.