SCRIPTURE: “I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.” (John 14:12 NIV)
QUOTE: “True Leaders don’t invest in buildings, (Jesus never built a physical cathedral), rather, they invest in people. Why? Because Success without a Successor is failure. So, your Legacy should not be in building, programs or projects; your legacy must be in people” – Myles Munroe
NOTE:
Great Leaders Leave Behind Successors Who Are Greater. Success without a successor is a failure. A leader is said to be truly successful when the successor is more successful than the said leader. In other words, the success of the successor is a true measurement or testament of a truly successful leader. A successful leader without a successful successor is like a successful company without a backup or continuity plan. Leaders who prepare and mentor their successors protect their organizations’ and country’s futures and help them avoid the instability that comes with succession.
Great leaders are not threatened by the success of their successors. They do everything to ensure that their successors do greater works and exploits that surpasses their own achievements. They do not secretly wish that their successor fails. Their definition of Success is not in how well they perform, but in how well their successors perform. That is true legacy!
ILLUSTRATION:
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he
REFLECTION:
- What steps can you begin to take to ensure that the person who replaces you in your present position does better than you?
- As a Leader, do you sincerely judge your Success by how well you perform or by how well your Successor performs?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING: Numbers 20 – 21, Psalm 87