Free Passing It On: Growing Your Future Leaders by Myles Munroe Page A

womb. A parasite feeds on the host, not
     giving back. It can even destroy the host. A child is not a parasite. A baby dolphin is not a parasite. A fruit on a tree
     is not a parasite. While a fetus is entirely dependent on its mother, that is but only for a season. Eventually the offspring—whether
     human, dolphin, or tree—emerges, grows, and becomes independent. The child is capable of giving back, even of becoming a parent.
     Even the fruit pit can become a tree. Likewise, the mentee draws knowledge from the mentor, but eventually matures and is
     able to function independently, contribute value, and eventually lead the organization.
    True leaders do not measure success by how many people depend on them . They mentor people to make them independent. They work for the independence of their mentees. They invest in the independence
     of their mentees. They want to see their people become independent, and they take pride in that.
    Leaders often become insecure when people no longer call on them for help or advice. They feel as though they are no longer
     valuable. In reality, that should be the greatest evidence that the successor is able to lead. Under the leadership philosophy
     of the young rabbi Jesus Christ, the emphasis should beon reproducing leaders and making yourself increasingly unnecessary. Leadership is not about holding on, but rather about
     letting go of a position.
    In the Scriptures, Matthew tells of a time when Jesus went to the mountain to pray. His students went to a village where they
     met a man who had a demon-possessed son. The father brought the child to them, but the disciples could not cast out the demon.
     People gathered around. Then Jesus came down from the mountain and asked what was causing so much commotion.
    The man said to Him basically, “I brought my son who has a problem to your students, and they could not help him.” Jesus did
     not attack the man for complaining or His disciples for their failure. He asked His disciples a question that reveals a lot
     about His mentoring style.
Matthew 17:14–17 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “L ORD , have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
     I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “ how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”
    How long should I be with you?
    This is a very powerful question. This is a leadership question, a mentoring question, a leadership succession question. He
     was saying in a way, “Look, I am not here forever. I want you to learn from me. I want you to understand me. I want you to
     know that I will not be with you long. I will not be with you forever.”
    How long must I be with you? What a beautiful question! To me this is the most awesome question about leadership succession.
     This question should become a part of the vocabulary of leaders. It communicates the spirit of mentorship and succession—the
     desire of true leadership to produce leaders. He expected them to handle this, so He was saying, “Look, did you not learn
     anything from me? I want you all to replace me.”
    He also took the time to tell them where they went wrong and how to do better next time, as the rest of the passage indicates.
Matthew 17:18–20 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus
     in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
     mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
    Jesus knew He would not be with them long, and He wanted them to face the reality. He was preparing them to take over.