One of the greatest leadership blunders is to "govern over your own grave." That is, a leader decides he is going to retire or resign or move onto another role and makes decisions that others will inherit.
The classic recent example of this is Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (at right) who earlier this year pardoned a bunch of criminals before he left office. Gov. Barbour will now go now as infamous in Mississippi history.
It just happened today in a situation that I know well. A vice president who has served faithfully for 40 years in the same context is retiring on June 30. He appointed an interim director of one of the departments he supervises, after a search yielded no permanent leader. It turns out that the interim director is a favorite of the retiring leader. Unfortunately she is just not qualified to lead the department. The permanent leader will have a major clean-up job to do after this interim period.
So what causes leaders to govern over their own graves? From my own experience stepping out of leadership roles as a director and senior pastor, here are four reasons:
1. The leader fears becoming redundant. The fact that the organization will continue on without the leader can be a harrowing experience for a person. The need to be needed is sometimes overwhelming.
2. The leader wants to ensure his legacy. There is much to applaud in this motivation. When a leader pours his heart and soul into a cause he rightfully wants to know that the impact of the organization will last for the longer term.
3. The leader does not know how to use power appropriately. For the leader who is moving on he knows that he only has a limited amount of time to exercise (wield) power. Haley Barbour knew this and pardoned criminals. Bad idea! Leaders need to give up power gradually as they transition out, rather than holding onto power until the last minute.
4. The leader needs to have a life beyond the organization. I faced a personal crisis in 2005 when I left a great position pastoring a church in Amsterdam. Looking back on it, I realize that my identity was too wrapped up in a title and status. I needed to learn to get on with life beyond that role. Leaders do well when their identity is found in something (for me it is faith in Jesus) other than their leadership role. Otherwise we are apt to govern over our own grave and hold on to the very last moment.
It just happened today in a situation that I know well. A vice president who has served faithfully for 40 years in the same context is retiring on June 30. He appointed an interim director of one of the departments he supervises, after a search yielded no permanent leader. It turns out that the interim director is a favorite of the retiring leader. Unfortunately she is just not qualified to lead the department. The permanent leader will have a major clean-up job to do after this interim period.
So what causes leaders to govern over their own graves? From my own experience stepping out of leadership roles as a director and senior pastor, here are four reasons:
1. The leader fears becoming redundant. The fact that the organization will continue on without the leader can be a harrowing experience for a person. The need to be needed is sometimes overwhelming.
2. The leader wants to ensure his legacy. There is much to applaud in this motivation. When a leader pours his heart and soul into a cause he rightfully wants to know that the impact of the organization will last for the longer term.
3. The leader does not know how to use power appropriately. For the leader who is moving on he knows that he only has a limited amount of time to exercise (wield) power. Haley Barbour knew this and pardoned criminals. Bad idea! Leaders need to give up power gradually as they transition out, rather than holding onto power until the last minute.
4. The leader needs to have a life beyond the organization. I faced a personal crisis in 2005 when I left a great position pastoring a church in Amsterdam. Looking back on it, I realize that my identity was too wrapped up in a title and status. I needed to learn to get on with life beyond that role. Leaders do well when their identity is found in something (for me it is faith in Jesus) other than their leadership role. Otherwise we are apt to govern over our own grave and hold on to the very last moment.
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