‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:23
But how do we persevere as leaders? I’ve seen many emerging leaders work hard on their development, pursuing educational goals, working with mentors and taking on challenging assignments. At times they would express concern to me that they were working much harder on their development than existing leaders were. The perception was that for some leaders, once they achieved a formal leadership position, they tended to coast – and I’m sure that’s true. Servant leaders, on the other hand, desire to keep on growing as leaders and adding value, as long as they are physically and mentally able.
I’ve written before about a man named Art, an excellent model for persevering. In his 70’s and 80’s, well past his retirement from his primary calling, he would continue to mentor young men and write articles for our church newsletter. My desire is to finish well like Art.
Here are a few ways to think about persevering as a leader and finishing well:
- Stay relevant. No matter your age, or whether or not you are retired from your primary calling or vocation, stay relevant. We don’t want anyone to say that we are “retired in place”, or just coasting toward retirement. This can take many forms, including reading leadership and professional development books. I would recommend getting into a book club with others to discuss these books. I would also recommend getting involved in a professional organization related to your field. For example, I volunteered in learning and IT organizations. I found that leading volunteers was very different from leading my regular team, and that helped me to grow as a leader. One other thing I would recommend is to stay informed about cultural trends. One of the ways I do this is to listen to Albert Mohler’s daily podcast The Briefing.
- Look for opportunities to serve. Leaders should have mentors, and should also serve as mentors. Serving as a mentor is a way to “give back” to those who helped you in your growth by in turn helping emerging and younger leaders, sharing your experiences with them. If you are retired, a way in which you can do this is by mentoring or discipling people in your church.
- Maintain your character. I’ve always liked the definition of character being what we do when nobody is watching. In his book The Hand of God, Alistair Begg tells us that it can take thirty years to build a reputation, and only five minutes to ruin it. There are so many ways (ethics violations, sexual immorality, etc.), in which leaders can destroy their reputation. My parents would often tell me that it is the last thing that people do that others tend to remember them for. So, finish strong as a leader with your character intact.
- Go out on top. One final thought is to persevere in your performance. Think of Tom Brady. As I write this, he has just recently retired from football after an MVP worthy season. There is no doubt that he could go on playing at a high level. He chose to go out on top. Where I worked, we would get an annual performance review. While some may coast toward retirement, servant leaders want to go out on top, do their very best up until their final day on the job, and earn the top performance rating.
We’ve all seen leaders who have coasted into retirement. We’ve also seen leaders who have destroyed their reputations through moral failures. Servant leaders want to persevere, finishing well in not only their primary vocation and calling, but also in what they are called to in their retirement years, serving the Lord in all they do (Colossians 3:23).
What other ways can you think of to persevere and finish well as a leader?
This is an Adapted Excerpt From My Book “A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING:
40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Master”.