He goes before you
Moses commissions Joshua
With his death near, Moses calls Joshua before all Israel and commissions him publicly. Be strong and courageous, he says, for you will bring this people into the land. And then he points past himself to the real source of confidence: it is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. A good handoff does not anchor the successor to the departing leader, but to the God who outlasts them both.
The temptation in succession is to make the successor dependent on you — to leave them clinging to your guidance, your presence, your way of doing things. Moses does the opposite. He releases Joshua not into his own absence but into God's presence. The point of a good handoff is that the work no longer depends on the predecessor being there; it depends on God, who goes before the next leader exactly as he went before the last. Hand people off to God, not to your shadow.
“The works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these.”
— Jesus, on those who follow — John 14:12 (WEB)
A good handoff anchors the successor to God, not to the departing leader. The work should depend on God who goes before the next leader, not on the predecessor’s presence.
“The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.”
Moses pointed Joshua past himself to the God who goes before. A leader formed here releases successors into God’s presence rather than his own shadow. The inner work is wanting people anchored to God, not dependent on him.
Hand people off to God and to their own footing, not to ongoing dependence on you. Build successors who can stand when you are gone. Point past yourself to the One who will go before them.
Leaders leave successors dependent on their guidance and call it support. The blind spot is anchoring people to themselves so the work cannot outlast their presence.
Identify someone overly dependent on you. This week, take one step to anchor them to God and their own footing instead of your shadow.
The temptation in succession is to leave the successor dependent on you — clinging to your presence and your way. Moses released Joshua not into his own absence, but into God's presence.
When you hand off, are you anchoring people to yourself, or to the God who will go before them when you're gone?