Almost anyone can make an organization look good for a moment — by launching a flashy new program or product, drawing crowds to a big event, or cutting the budget to boost profit. But leaders who leave a legacy take a different approach. They keep both tomorrow and today in view. In the end, a leader's ability will be judged by how well their people and their organization do after the leader has left. Their lasting value will be measured by their succession.
How is a legacy prepared?
In the end, a leader's ability will be judged by how well the people and the organization perform after the leader has left. Lasting value is measured by succession. To create a legacy, a leader must proceed strategically. The following thoughts can help her make a start:
1. She decides in advance what she is willing to give up.
Being a leader has its price; being a leader who leaves a legacy has an even higher price. When a leader works to create a legacy, her life is no longer her own. That is why it is so important to know what the leader is willing to give up so that others can rise.
- What are you willing to give up?
- How much of your time?
- How much of your money?
- How many opportunities are you willing to forgo?
- How many of your dreams are you willing to set aside to make sure that one, or maybe two, survive in the lives of others?
2. She takes the initiative and begins the process.
If a leader wants to create a legacy, she must take the initiative and set the process in motion — and there will be times when she has to fight for it. Jesus' disciples had various agendas. Some, like Simon, wanted Jesus to lead an uprising against Rome. Others, like James and John, wanted to take positions of power (Mark 10:37). Even Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from the very act that would enable the other disciples to follow in Jesus' footsteps (Matthew 16:22).
3. She knows her goals for each person.
The process of creating a legacy rests primarily on people. It requires choosing the right people and the right development process for each person. Jesus chose the bearers of his legacy carefully. Scripture says he deliberately chose the twelve. He did not simply take the first people who showed up. And he did not treat them all the same. He had a specific development process for each person.
4. She prepares well for handing over the baton.
Once the leader has prepared her people, she must prepare them for the transition. Preparing a successor is a true art, and it does not always go smoothly. Jesus had difficulty handing the baton to his followers. He appeared to them after his resurrection and gave them the Great Commission, because some of them still had not grasped it. Peter, James, and John all went back to fishing after Jesus had risen! When a leader prepares to hand things over to a successor, she does everything she can to make the transition smooth. And even then she should offer additional support without getting in her successors' way.
How did Jesus prepare his legacy?
Jesus faced the task of changing the lives of people for thousands of years after him — and he succeeded. He did it without writing books, building schools, or founding institutions. Since Jesus chose to leave his legacy in people, we should learn his method and practice it as well as we can. How did Jesus go about it?
- He instructed his disciples — Instruction
Jesus taught constantly, most often in parables. More than half the content of the Gospels represents the teaching of Jesus. The parable of the sower gives us insight into the way Jesus worked. When the disciples asked him about the meaning of the parable, he explained it and revealed an insightful truth hidden within the story.
- He lived it out — Example
Today's pedagogy relies too heavily on teaching. Had Jesus only taught the disciples and done nothing more, they would not have carried on his legacy. But Jesus shared his life with them. Jesus' disciples went through three phases in their training:
- Come and see. Jesus invited them to observe him and his priorities. He invited them to evaluate him and judge him (and themselves in light of what he did).
- Come and follow me. Jesus required a greater commitment. The disciples were to do more than just observe; they were to join him.
- Come and be with me. This phase took up most of the time in Jesus' three-year ministry. He required commitment and companionship from the disciples. The Twelve were with him as he taught, traveled, prayed, ate with "sinners," healed the sick, and raised the dead. They saw the agreement between his teaching and his deeds, and they learned the how and the why of everything he did.
- He created opportunities to gain experience — Practice
After Jesus had modeled good leadership and taught spiritual truths, he did not simply let his men go and move on. He gradually brought them into independent leadership by giving them valuable experiences. Jesus gave his followers an opportunity to practice what he had taught, and thereby to exercise their own leadership.
- He gave feedback and developed them further — Development
Jesus repeatedly assessed his disciples' progress. After the return of the seventy, he instructed them regarding priorities and celebrated with them (Luke 10:17-24). Jesus also gave some of his disciples individual and specific feedback on their character and their abilities. If a leader wants to leave a legacy, she must develop the people who are to carry it forward. Only if she finds the right people and prepares them well will it work.