Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land. The LORD will go before you.
I'm in a season where I'm thinking about succession. I've been in leadership for twenty-five years. How do I pass the torch well? How do I step back without undermining the next leader? How do I give them real authority while still being present?
Moses models something important here. He publicly commissions Joshua. He speaks with authority about who Joshua is and what he's called to do. He's not just slipping away. He's intentional about handing over.
But he also makes clear: I'm leaving, but God isn't. The Lord will go before you. Joshua is taking over, but he's not alone. Moses is explicitly stepping back so Joshua can have real authority.
I'm trying to do that now with the next director in my organization. I'm making space. I'm not stepping in when she makes decisions differently than I would. I'm publicly affirming her leadership. I'm stepping back.
It's harder than you'd think. You want to protect the organization. You want to make sure things don't fall apart. But real succession requires trust. Joshua had to be trusted to lead. The next generation has to be trusted to lead differently than we did.
I think about Moses watching Joshua lead. Probably frustrated sometimes. Probably wanting to jump in and fix things. But Moses had the grace to let the torch pass. That's what I want to do.
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