Somebody needs to figure this out. For me, the temptation to play amateur traffic cop happens every time I’m behind the wheel. Every time we pull out of the driveway, we’re entrusting our lives to nameless/faceless humans who are behind the wheel of 3500# death machines, hoping that they have a baseline awareness of the social contract found in the vehicle code. Do you hope to make it back home, alive and unharmed? That’s more of a crapshoot than you might imagine…

One of the more obscure facets of the vehicle code – the ground rules for operating a vehicle – is the concept of “right of way” when entering an intersection that is not controlled by a traffic light. The statute states that the first person to stop is the first to proceed. If multiple cars stop concurrently, the one on the right side has the right of way. To violate that decorum is called “failure to yield,” and it is a citable offense: that means that a police officer can issue a ticket that can result in fines or points.

Failure to yield may not sound like a big deal, but when the common understanding dictates that there is a way to conduct oneself in an orderly manner – to avoid the collisions that can occur when it’s every-man-for-himself – it’s best to take that into account before you take your foot off the brake and hit the gas.

Allow me to use this modern metaphor as a potential parable: as we navigate through life in a society of increasingly complex organizational frameworks, we’re surrounded by people whose decisions affect us, both directly and indirectly. In every aspect of life and culture, there are org charts in play: some people are in the upper echelons, and others are below them. None of the boxes are static; people who inhabit every position are in a state of predictable change. Some are zigging laterally or diagonally; some are progressing upward; there are others who are aging out, leaving the whiteboard for parts unknown. 

Except, it seems, for the box at the top of the pyramid. If the title there is “CEO,” “President,” or “Executive Director,” there is a virtual defensive shield that wraps around the edges of that corner-office position. Nothing except an Act of God – or a confidential meeting of the board of directors – can touch the person who wears that crown. The bold underscore for that likelihood: add “Founder” to the meritorious accolades printed on the Top Box calling card. Those Top Dogs aren’t going anywhere until the coroner’s van pulls to the curb of the executive headquarters building…

In the business lane – among privately-held companies – about 60% of Founders admit to delaying succession planning (Harvard Business Review). In the religious non-profit sector, 70% of Founders stay on their organizational thrones far beyond the ideal transition window (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation). Among churches, 75% of Founders – or senior pastors – over age 60 have not yet identified or empowered a successor, fearing loss of identity, lack of trust in younger leaders, or uncertainty about their personal future (Barna Group).

Why do Founders lock themselves into the corner office? One study found five likelihoods:

1) personal identity tied to the role;

2) fear of irrelevance;

3) belief that no one else can match their performance;

4) lack of trust in successors; and

5) emotional difficulty of yielding control.

The greatest transition in history – from the Founder to His successors – was modeled by Jesus. He never “aged out;” instead, He recognized what His unique contribution to the movement was, and when He had completed that assignment, He elevated His successors to lead to the Eternal horizon.

Wherever you are in the pecking order, you should be planning to hand your spot off to your designated replacement(s), recognizing that often-unstated part of your job description. If you’re at the top of the power structure, remember that your title includes the invisible descriptor: “interim.” 

Dysfunction is inevitable when the Oldies become Moldies. Look inside the Beltway; look at the Kremlin; look at the Forbes List; look at too many pulpits: when is it time to pass the torch? What are you doing to elevate your protégés to their future greatness?

Bob Shank

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