Serve a better leader

Serving a better leader is a price to become a great leader.

A person who desires leadership may take whatever opportunity that awaits him. Time spent in the presence of another leader is educational, but a green leader wants to get started now! He can’t wait to arrive at the pinnacle of leadership and so departs from his preparation before he’s ready (Maxwell).

Elisha waited years before his leadership had a chance to shine. With his credentials as Elijah’s protege, he could have taken up a position in the prophetic college, launched a new ministry, or became a leader in another arena. He must have known God had selected him as Elijah’s replacement, but he didn’t let that keep him from serving Elijah to the very end. Even when Elijah tested him by thrice asking him to depart, he would not walk away (ESV, 2Ki 2).

Business leadership takes many skills, most of which cannot be taught from books alone. With cultural and spiritual factors thrown in the skills list lengthens more. After gaining a few skills from a better leader, a person may think he’s sufficiently prepared. In the presence of a good leader, his own leadership may be easier than it will be without the oversight he’s taken for granted. But a wise leader will stay where they’re at until everything they can learn has been absorbed. For every one leader who waited too long to lead - if such exists - there are a dozen who launched off too soon. Therefore, businesses need leaders who will put in the time with better business leaders to become great.

There’s a price attached to learning from a better leader. It means an indeterminate amount of time working for someone else’s vision and mission so that their leadership succeeds. It means honor to be a protege if your leader is famous, but more likely it will mean some level of obscurity. In my more humble moments, this is exactly what I want.

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