Pass the Key with Peace

Three old friends owned store fronts next to one another. One was a watchmaker, one a cobbler and the third a toymaker. Each store owner was getting too old to maintain the craft. As they talked among themselves each asked the other how they was going to pass on the business.

The watchmaker said he had an apprentice who had worked beside him for ten years. He was going to sell him the business. "I will sell him half the business and keep half the company, that way I will still be able to monitor the sales and direction of the shop - I do not want the quality of my watches to change and I am afraid that my apprentice will lower the cost of the watches in order to gain popularity," said the seller of time.

The cobbler shook her head in agreement. "I will leave my shop to my eldest son, but I doubt his ability to be successful. He has worked in the shop for many years...began at age10 and has been making shoes for two decades. He has some crazy ideas about color and shape that I don't think will work. I plan to stay close by and keep a careful eye on the products for sale."

The toymaker just smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I have sold my shop to a very young man with novel ideas. He is very excited about the future although I see many changes coming. I plan to give him the key next month and walk away with great and fond memories of all the toys I have made. It will be the new man's store from now on and I will only enter the shop in order to buy a special toy for one of my grandchildren."

Within a year the shops looked very different. The watchmaker shop has a large sign in the window: For Sale...Original Owner looking for New Partner. Upon inquiring upon the situation, an interested businessman asked what had happened to the first partner. The old man responded, "my apprentice wanted to open a new line of more affordable watches... I told him that this shop has and always will stand for the highest of quality whether the common man can afford them or not. The road to popularity is a slippery slope indeed!"

The cobbler shop needed a new coat of paint both inside and out. The lights were dim in the store and the cobbler was working diligently at his station. As a customer walked in the shop he asked about the newest style of sandals that everyone was looking for. The cobbler glanced up from his work and sighed, "Sorry, we don't make that style. My mother has owned this shop for many, many years and she... I mean we... have decided to stay with the traditional shoes that we have always made." The customer left rather disappointed and the young cobbler continued at his task with a small tear in his eye.

The toyshop had a newly painted sign on the store front featuring marionettes and fancy kites. The shop was filled with smiling faces and happy customers. As soon as customers entered the shop, a friendly voice would greet them. The new owner of the shop was always interested in making his store as personal as possible. "I am really pleased with the changes I have made to this place. It was wonderful the way it was, but I have made some improvements that have made it shine.

How hard it is to give the key to another and walk away. I have known some senior pastors who have passed the pulpit to another, but stayed within the church, only to see the new leader struggle to move ahead. The old beloved man of God remained a powerful influence that often stood in the new pastor's way. Some organizational leaders retire from the executive desk, but continue to try to run the company from a chair at the board table. Most of the time, with rare exception, step down should really mean step down and away from your position of authority. Continued management of the company from the back seat can only cause tension and confusion to the new driver. Intimidation and confrontation from the old leadership to the new... whether it is a new apprentice or family member... can result in stagnation, discouragement and even crises.

Succession planning is a critical aspect of strategic development. Executing that plan, as hard as it might be, is vital for transformation. As a leader, (even if you are a new leader with no plans to retire) it is so important to plan how to leave, plan how to pass the key, and plan how to walk away. A servant cannot serve two masters; a car cannot respond to two drivers; a dog cannot obey two opposing voices; and an organization cannot successfully follow two CEOs. The way a leader chooses to pass his/her business on to others, has a strong influence on the success or failure of that organization's future. Oh, how I pray when the time comes that God gives me the grace to pass the key and walk away with peace in my heart.