This morning, I heard that a local business that’s been around for nearly 90 years would be closing down any day now. The owner recently died, and unless something changes, the business will soon be closing its doors.
I don’t know the details of this specific situation, but the announcement did get me thinking. At some point, we’re all going to be moving on. Perhaps to a new team, or a different job, or maybe changing roles in a local organization. Given enough time, things are going to change, and at some point we won’t be in the same place we are today.
So the question is, When that day comes, how do we want the transition to go?
Since it’s inevitable, we might as well plan for it—especially if we are in a place of responsibility or leadership. Will we be intentional about teaching and mentoring others to fill our roles when we’re gone? Or will we be content to let whatever happens happen? How we answer these kinds of questions speak volumes about the kind of leader we are.
Of course, we may not be able to control how or when these transitions happen. But we can control whether or not we prepare for them.