Elder

Where You Are

You’ve been at this process of committing to your beliefs in the community for a long time. You’ve sacrificed deeply and suffered profoundly in order to live a life that really matters. You know better than anyone that the process is never over, and there is always a new frontier to explore as you improve the way your tribe works together. Yet, you’re celebrating some hard-earned victories, like:

• Consistently making memories with a team you cherish, respect, and learn from daily

• Watching long-term community members invest in new ones

• Doing the hard, rewarding work of self-examination and personal growth, impacting not just your work life but also family, friendships, and beyond

• Glimpsing your community make a meaningful impact in the world

As you see your investments come to fruition, you’re looking to the future — possibly with some excitement and some trepidation. You’ve switched your focus from day-to-day operations to year- and decades-long goals; you may even be thinking about what happens when you’re gone. Some stressors right now might include:

• Fear of letting go of the things you love doing the most

• Unsure of how to instill important values in the next generation of leaders

• Unsure of how to “exit” — can you pass the torch without selling out?

• New members elevate your story to a “legendary” status and are no longer as hungry as you were when you were the scrappy underdog

• Helping your team adapt to new technologies, practices, or industries

These are the rewards of success. Few leaders get here, and even fewer make it beyond this stage because it is the hardest one yet.

Where to Go

Your next step is to let go of hands-on leadership and invite those you’ve mentored to take on advanced responsibilities that previously only belonged to you. 

As tribal elders throughout human history passed on knowledge to the next generations, they relied on the Four Rings of Tribe-Building that we cover in our 7-Day Tribal Transformation. You’ve been using these four aspects of tribal leadership intuitively if you’ve made it this far, but now it would be valuable to go through the Bootcamp and hone each step so that you have a clear vision for handing them on without losing their essence. You might also include upper-level team members in the Bootcamp and help them become more intentional about stewarding the tribal culture you’ve built. You might also consider a Core Beliefs Session to process and fully articulate the ideals you’ve honed over the years.

Look for opportunities to allow a younger generation to lead the culture — and give them the mentorship they need to do it. There is no shortcut here. They need to be able to actually fail in order to feel any ownership over what you give them, so give them real responsibility. Tell them personal details about your origin story that no one else knows. Invite them to lead your tribe’s rituals and make them their own. Give them a symbolic gift that honors their new role. Be purposeful about creating a process of initiation for the young men and women around you.

Teaching others how to integrate transcendent ideas into concrete reality is challenging, but it’s a surefire way to ensure that your tribe preserves the meaning and belonging you stand for, even without your constant presence. You have a special role to play in initiating Chieftains into their next phase of growth toward Elders. Your gifts are incredibly valuable, and they’ll have ripple effects if you’re intentional about passing them on.