In the realm of community leadership, a quiet crisis has taken root. This is a crisis not of resources or external threats, but of vision and succession. Across many cultural, religious, and civic communities, we see leaders clinging to positions for decades, often unchallenged, unaccountable, and uninterested in grooming the next wave. They sit atop structures they once helped build, but which now risk crumbling under stagnation. The malaise is widespread: councils dominated by the same names for generations, youth sidelined from decision-making, and new ideas treated with suspicion rather than curiosity. What began as service too often calcifies into entitlement.

This stagnation is not merely administrative, rather it is spiritual and philosophical. When leadership becomes about maintaining personal status rather than nurturing collective strength, the very ethos of community is eroded. Elders are meant to be torchbearers, not gatekeepers. Yet, instead of lifting others up, many hold tightly to control, fearing irrelevance or obsolescence. The result? Communities become brittle, innovation is stifled, and younger generations feel alienated or disillusioned. Talent walks away. The culture of leadership shifts from one of stewardship to one of survival. And in this fear-driven ecosystem, the cycle of exclusion deepens until the very communities these leaders once vowed to protect begin to fracture or fade. As a well-known Māori proverb reminds us, “He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.” The most important thing in the world is people: their wellbeing, their relationships, and how we uplift one another.

True leadership is not measured by how long one holds onto power, but by how deeply one invests in preparing others to rise. The greatest leaders understand that their role is not to dominate the present but to shape the future. Rather than clinging to position or prestige, they focus on creating pathways for others to go further, see clearer, and lead better. At its noblest, leadership is not self-serving, rather it is a service to time itself, to generations yet to come. It is about offering one’s shoulders so that others may gain a broader view, building not just their own legacy, but the vision of a better world.

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
— Ralph Nader, American political activist, author, and attorney.

This requires a level of humility that is often absent in today’s leadership landscape. Many contemporary leaders, particularly in politics and institutions, behave as though they are irreplaceable. They resist succession, hoard knowledge, and conflate personal relevance with perpetual control. But humility teaches us that no one is indispensable. A humble leader recognises that greatness lies not in being the final word, but in enabling others to write the next chapter. Such leaders do not fear being forgotten as they are content with being the quiet foundation on which others rise.

Intentional legacy-building is the antidote to the obsession with permanence. It means mentoring successors, creating open structures, and celebrating others’ growth even when it surpasses one’s own. It’s like the Greek proverb about planting trees under whose shade one may never sit. Leaders who live by this philosophy do not see the next generation as a threat, but as a testament to their success. They understand that the true measure of their impact is not how long they remain in the chair, but what continues to thrive long after they’ve left it.

To mitigate this malaise, a profound cultural shift is needed especially the one that redefines leadership not as possession, but as preparation. Community organisations must create space for intergenerational collaboration, ensuring that younger leaders are not just given token roles but real responsibility. Term limits, transparent succession planning, and leadership development programmes should be the norm, not the exception. Elders must see legacy not as a memorial to their past, but as a bridge to the future. Humility must become a leadership value again; the kind that is willing to step aside, cheer from the sidelines, and celebrate the rise of others. When a leader offers their shoulders willingly, they build a community that outlasts them. And in doing so, they become not smaller, but greater.

He alone is a leader who leads others by inspiring them to walk the path of truth and humility.
— Paraphrased essence from Guru Nanak Sahib’s teachings in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

These words from Guru Nanak Sahib offer not just a spiritual ideal, but a practical guide for community leaders today: to lead by lifting, to inspire by example, and to walk with humility.