Why We Need to Encourage Younger CEOs?

Why We Need to Encourage Younger CEOs?

Enthusiasm, youthfulness, energy, spirit of learning, enquiry, openly confessing blunders, questioning, willingness to build trust and submit to one another were some of the characteristics of the recent gathering of younger CEOs of India Missions Association (IMA) at Hyderabad.  The IMA staff had a taste of the future as they found this meeting to be very unique and different from all the other programs.   The whole scenario was in sharp contrast to the world’s media attention to the appointment of the newest CEO the 79 years old Pope Benedict XVI as the Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Nearly fifty years of Indian missions movement is poised for a new era as the Gen Next is assuming their rightful role in the Indian missions scenario.   Many of the IMA member organizations have been recently facing leadership transition as the founding and senior leaders have stepped aside from their roles.  Many young leaders are well trained and exposed not just in missions but also in other spheres of life.  A few of these leaders are children of the leaders who have founded their ministries.  The common issue for discussion during the gathering of the younger CEOs was the challenges of leadership transition.   As the new leaders assume their role they need a lot of encouragement and counsel from the senior leaders and statesmen of the Indian mission movement at the same time avoiding the creation of continued dependency.

These young leaders are often seen with mobile phones, laptops and leather briefcases.  They communicate easily through emails, SMS and power points presentations.  They seek creative ways of communicating the Gospel and discipling people to meet the modern day challenges. They are not afraid to experiment and fail. They constantly seek to build on the foundations laid by the visionary leaders before them.  They have seen the dollars before they entered missions and are more passionate to creatively raise finance from the growing Indian middle class.  They accept globalization of missions as a reality and think beyond the Indian borders.  However their commitment to Jesus Christ and their sense of sacrifice is no lesser than that of the earlier generation of mission leaders.  They are only different. They are the younger CEOs within the IMA constituency.

As the senior leaders and founders begin to transit into new roles as advisors and mentors, the younger CEOs will emerge from the shadows and lead the Indian mission movement forward.  To make this a reality, we all need to learn how to mentor successors earlier than later.  We need to learn the art of letting go the emerging leaders to find their rightful place in the new leadership. We must consciously share leadership and decision making roles. We must develop multiple leadership across genders, regions and ministries. We must make room for the new emerging leadership.  We have to understand that the new leaders will have a different style and ethos that is needed for the present times.  The senior leaders and founders have a responsibility to encourage the emerging younger leadership by bestowing their authority and approval through constant encouragement even though they may be different.  The Indian mission movement now needs a new generation of energetic spirit filled youthful leaders who can take the baton and pass it on to the next generation.  How wonderful it will be to see this scenario emerging without much tension, stress or struggle.  IMA is committed to encouraging the development of younger leaders.  John Amalraj

Published in Indian Missions, Quarterly of India Missions Association, Hyderabad, July 2005