Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Join me for a more personal look into the weekend sermons, as well as some thoughts on theology, marriage, parenting, and leadership. I will also explore some of your most asked questions throughout the year.
www.nic-williams.com
Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Success Through Succession: Embracing the Law of Legacy
Journey with us through the four stages of a leader’s journey: achievement, success, significance, and legacy. We’ll share inspiring stories and practical advice to help you reflect on the legacy you wish to leave. Learn to shape the future by preparing the next generation, ensuring your values and missions thrive even after you are gone. Grab insights on how to ponder what people might say at your funeral, and why investing in future leaders is one of the most powerful steps you can take. Don’t miss this episode—it’s time to build a legacy that lasts.
Welcome back to Beyond Sunday where, in this mini-series, we've explored the principles of leadership and personal growth through John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Today we're diving into the final law. That's right, congratulations, if you've been with me on this journey. We are finishing this book today. The final law is the law of legacy. This law states a leader's lasting value is measured by succession. Let's unpack what this means for you and I and how we can apply it to our own leadership journey.
Speaker 1:As I reflect on my own leadership journey, I often think about the legacy I want to leave behind. I remember attending a mentor's funeral and hearing stories about the impact he had on so many lives. In fact, I've stood on stage and talked about people at funerals and it's always made me think man, what kind of legacy do I want to leave? And it's made me realize that true leadership is not just about what we achieve during our tenure, but about the people we invest in and empower to carry on after we're gone. This experience underscored the importance of the law of legacy. Now again, john defines this law of legacy by saying a leader's lasting value is measured by succession. He emphasizes that one of the most powerful and insightful questions leaders must reflect on is what do you want people to say at your funeral? This question might seem odd, but it is crucial for understanding the legacy we wish to leave. Maxwell explains that the greatest leaders plan for the future by mentoring those they choose to carry on their legacy. He states you and I will be judged by how well the people we invested in carried on after we're gone. Legacy is not about the buildings we built or the institutions we established, but about the leaders we develop to continue our work. Maxwell outlines four stages of a leader's journey. Number one achievement doing big things by themselves. Number two success empowering followers to do big things for them. Number three significance developing leaders to do great things with them. And then number four legacy putting leaders in position to do great things with them. And then number four legacy putting leaders in position to do great things without them.
Speaker 1:To leave a lasting legacy, leaders must be intentional about mentoring and developing their successors. Proverbs 13, 22 says a good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children. This verse highlights the importance of thinking beyond our own lifetime and investing in the future generations. Consider the story of Elijah and Elisha in the Bible. Elijah invested in Elisha, preparing him to carry on his prophetic ministry. When Elijah was taken up to heaven, elisha continued his work with even greater impact. This mentorship ensured that Elijah's legacy lived on through Elisha. John Maxwell said "'Achievement comes when they do big things by themselves, yet success comes when they empower followers to do the big things for them'". Another insightful quote from Peter Drucker says the best way to predict the future is to create it. This highlights the importance of intentionally shaping the legacy that we wish to leave behind.
Speaker 1:Imagine a company founder who builds a successful business but fails to develop a succession plan. When the founder retires, the businesses struggle because no one is prepared to take it over. Now consider the opposite a founder who invests time in mentoring and developing his successor. When they step down, the business continues to thrive because of the strong leadership pipeline. This is seen in the church world in a big way today, because there are so many churches that have large personalities leading the church and the idea of succession, even within ministry ministry has become such a hot topic to make sure that the church is prepared for the next pastor and leader to step in and continue the torch of where that church is at. Or consider the example of Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Jobs intentionally prepared Cook to succeed him at Apple. Cook's leadership ensured that Apple continued to innovate and succeed even after Jobs' passing. This intentional succession planning solidified Jobs' legacy. Now Maxwell shares a story about a leader who focused on mentoring a small group of high-potential individuals. This leader's investment in their development paid off when those individuals went on to lead significant initiatives and grow the organization exponentially. This story highlights the importance of developing a purposeful legacy.
Speaker 1:Now, as always, let's take just a moment to talk about how you and I can apply the law of legacy to our own leadership journey. Four quick things. Number one reflect on your legacy. What do you want people to say at your funeral? Reflect on the legacy that you wish to leave. Why do you lead? What gifts and talents were you instilled with and who can you impact through your leadership? Number two ensure your actions reflect your legacy. Once you've considered the legacy you wish to leave.
Speaker 1:Legacy. Once you've considered the legacy you wish to leave, ensure your actions align with it. Live the legacy you want to leave every day. Number three identify and mentor successors. Who will you pass the baton? To Identify individuals with the potential to carry on your legacy, invest time, effort and energy in mentoring them for succession. Don't wait to start mentoring your successors. Do it today. And finally, number four, create a purposeful legacy plan. Know the legacy you want to leave by clearly defining your legacy goals. Live the legacy you want to leave, ensuring your daily actions reflect your legacy. Choose who you want to carry on your legacy, identifying those people we just talked about, and then pass the baton. Make sure that, when the moment comes, you effectively transition leadership to your successors. Remember, a leader's lasting value is measured by succession. By focusing on developing a purposeful legacy and mentoring successors, you can ensure that your leadership impact continues long after you're gone. Today, we explored the law of legacy and how a leader's lasting value is measured by succession.
Speaker 1:As we wrap up this series on John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I want to thank you for joining me on this 21-day journey. I hope you've grown in your understanding and application of these leadership principles. In fact, if you have other books on leadership that stand out to you, feel free to share them with me and maybe one day we can walk through them together in future episodes of this podcast. In the meantime, thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed the series. Please subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend. Until next time, keep growing and leading with purpose. Next week I will be back with a podcast looking at John, chapter 11, talking about that moment, that incredible story of Jesus walking up to Lazarus's tomb and calling Lazarus out. I promise you don't want to miss it. Till then, have a great week.