Monday, March 17, 2008

Outstaying our usefulness

Every Malaysian is still very caught up with the unexpected change of political landscape. Rumors abound and talks of uncertainty are the main topics of discussion practically everywhere. One important lesson that we should all learn is not to overstay in our positions. It is true that some individual possess outstanding abilities and we want them to stay on a long time. But we should remember that no one is indispensable. I believe the task for all of us is to recruit replacements. What I mean is, we should always have the goal of raising new potentials and then move on. The problem with staying where we are for too long is the danger of complacency, laziness, comfort, and being too rooted that our perspectives/opinions become too narrow. My problem is for those who stay in the same position 20, 30 years. I mean, move on. Raise people and move on – that’s the real test of capability. However good you are in your area of expertise, it will amount to nothing if you fail to raise a successor. People are always afraid to loose control/power when they give away authority but as John Maxwell mentioned in one of his books, the opposite is true. I believe it is true because the more authority you give out, the more effective you’ll be. The illustration is a bar of soap. It is more useful when it is used. The more it is used, the more effective it is in fulfilling its purpose.


I think the church needs to learn this too. The church needs to adopt the vision to raise successors. No one can turn into an expert over-night. Even from this very day, we need to raise successor. We need to source potentials and invest in them to take over the rein as the next generation emerge. I pray that more will catch this vision. Old things must past. This is a spiritual pilgrimage – we journey through a life that is temporal on earth. There should always be the pilgrim’s mindset. May we all learn to be spiritually discerned to understand the times.

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