You won't be at your job forever. I don't care if you are the founder or you just started last week--we all eventually leave our positions and our organizations. You might leave because of retirement, termination, the organization closes, you get a job offer you can't refuse, the proverbial bus finally hits you, or you just get fed up and resign. However it happens, everyone leaves eventually.

I was an executive pastor at Granger Church for 20 years alongside my founding pastor, Mark. We were like two wings of a plane. For two decades, "Mark and Tim" were the rudders of the ship as the organization grew faster and bigger than either of us ever imagined. I hired scores of staff, started and handed off ministry, and partnered with Mark to raise money, build facilities, write our governance policies, create our staff values and build a cohesive team. We used to say, "If you cut us, we would bleed the Granger DNA." 

Twenty years is a long time, and I never thought I'd leave. But guess what...I was just an interim. Granger is nearing 40 years old, and I was only there for a portion. Most of the people who now attend Granger, and likely many of the staff, have never heard my name. My legacy is not in what I did or the positions I held--my legacy is in the people I loved, the values I lived, and the way I led. 

Yet my identity was tied closely to Granger. In fact, in my last few years, Granger was my identity. It was unhealthy, and it clouded my objectivity. 

When You Have an Unhealthy IdentitY...

• You grip too tightly your work or your role.

• You think everything is on your shoulders, and that the work won't get done without you.

• You can sometimes overlook disease in the organization because you know it could jeopardize your role or reputation, and thus your identity.

• You don't have objectivity about if and when it is time to move on. When your identity is too closely tied to your work, it can be difficult to know when it is time to transition to a new role or organization. I think I stayed two or three years longer than I should have at Granger because my identity was misplaced.

• It can hinder your ability or desire to grow. You may resist change or be hesitant to take on new challenges, since you don't want to be moved from where you feel most comfortable.

• It can lead you to a place of working long hours, having poor personal boundaries, flirting with burn-out, neglecting your family or other meaningful relationships, and it can impact your health in significant ways. 

When You Have a Healthy IdentitY...

• You realize you are an interim!

• You know someone else will eventually be sitting in your seat, and you think often about how you can set them up for success.

• You aren't nervous about raising up volunteers or other staff to do what you do, with the risk of working yourself out of a job, because you already know you won't be there forever.

• You know you won't be remembered by your work, so you have a passion toward doing everything you can to make a difference while you are there -- loving people well and leaving the organization a better place.

• You sleep better at night, because it doesn't all rest on your shoulders. People came before you, others will come after, and there are a lot of other people with you right now. 

• Healthy leaders who realize everyone is an interim will focus on people development. They realize their employees are only going to be with them for a limited time, so they focus on what they can do to develop them not only to stay, but also because they want them to do well in life, even if it is somewhere else. 

• Healthy leaders have an "open hands" policy. There is space for someone to admit they are considering another job, and they'll actually walk with them in that decision with counsel and encouragement. (Run away from the leader who will fire an employee because they hear they took an interview somewhere else).

When I came to Willow in early 2020, I knew I was an interim. I thought it would be five to eight years, but eventually I would be gone. Willow is nearly 50 years old, so no matter how long I stayed, it would be a blip on a timeline that would stretch decades before and after me. It allowed me to pour into people because it was right, not because they were "my" people. I had clear perspective to fill roles I was asked to fill, versus having the perfect role where all of my strengths were utilized. And it gave me the objectivity to know when it was best for the organization for me to leave. 

Find the freedom in admitting to yourself that you are only an interim. Do good work, love people well, make a difference--but realize in the end, it's just a season.