Suckcession Syndrome

Suckcession – noun, the failure to raise up a competent successor.

It was bittersweet watching another class of graduating seniors walk across the stage. They have been such an integral part of our lives for the past four years, and now they are gone. It is bitter because we will miss them. It is sweet because we really need them to leave.

If upperclassmen never leave, underclassmen will never develop their potential to lead. As much as leaders like to lead, they seldom step up in situations where others are leading well. Even the strongest of leaders go with the flow until they feel like they are truly needed. But as soon as a leader moves out of the way, a vacuum is created and those with potential get sucked into the void.

So, in many situations, longevity actually poses a problem. When leaders lead effectively for an extended period of time, those around them seldom grow in the area of leadership. In fact, the greater a leader is, the worse off their successors tend to be. This is not simply because it’s difficult to fill the shoes of a popular predecessor. It’s also because a predecessor’s greatness stifles and stunts the growth of their successors.

Suckcession Old & New

We see this time and again in Scripture—especially when sons follow in the footsteps of exceptional fathers:

• Gideon nobly rebuffs attempts to crown him as king; his wicked son, Abimelech, so craves royal power that he slaughters all his brothers to get it (Judges 9).
• Samuel is an extraordinary priest and judge; his sons are so wicked that the people spurn God’s design for their lives rather than submit to their leadership (1 Samuel 8).
• Solomon’s wisdom is legendary; his son, Rehoboam, prefers the council of young fools and so splits the kingdom (1 Kings 12).
• Hezekiah is one of Judah’s best kings; his son, Manasseh, is hands down the worst (2 Kings 21).

And we see this still today. Men and women who achieve greatness in their professions routinely raise incompetent children. Conversely, rather ordinary and underachieving parents end up raising extraordinary children.

This pattern does not replicate itself in every instance. For example, Elisha the prophet appears to have surpassed his mentor Elijah. But even this happens only after Elijah begins to decline and seeks a way out (1 Kings 19).

How to Avoid Suckcession

Those who want to avoid suckcession should proactively strive to raise up competent successors. Here are 7 tips for doing so well:

1. Don’t be so great. Seriously! It is possible, indeed preferable, to simply do well. Avoid the limelight and your successors won’t have to worry as much about walking in your shadow. The remaining tips are footnotes to this first point.
2. Invest time and energy into your successors. Your own greatness will lessen as you raise them up, and that’s a good thing. You simply won’t have time to maximize your own potential.
3. Give your successors a head start. Allow them to stand on your shoulders so they can see and go farther. The mantra of a lousy leader is, “Since I had to go through X, so should they.”
4. Share the workload and the credit. It’s often easier to get things done quickly and well simply by doing them. Resist this urge, include others in your work, and be sure to deflect praise to them.
5. Don’t cling to the reins as long as possible. Recognize when your longevity contributes more to your personal legacy than to your organization’s efficacy. As long as you’re still around, the next generation will not likely thrive.
6. Resist low hanging fruit. Established leaders get plenty of opportunities to enhance their reputation. So when relatively simple, high profile opportunities come along, step aside and let growing leaders build confidence by picking up some easy wins.
7. Leave important things for others to do and be willing to let them fail. If leaders don’t withdraw enough that others must step up, these others will not feel the pressure needed to grow. So intentionally create vacuums for others to fill.

Exemplars of Succession

These tips are practical and grounded in experience, but we also see them modeled in Scripture. We see it in John the Baptist who intentionally decreased so Jesus could increase (John 3:30).

We see this when Jesus dodged the limelight, spent time among the disreputable, invested deeply in his disciples, gave his followers great authority when they seemed entirely unready for it, and left behind a world changing group of leaders after only three years of public ministry.

Jesus articulates a key part of his succession strategy in John 14:12-14:

“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

Jesus was a great leader who made great leaders because he praised their potential, got out of their way, and championed their cause.

Leaders today would do well to follow his example.