“I'm getting old. I believe it's time to hand over the leadership to somebody else. But the training of my successor is a constant source of worry for me. How should I do it?”

Civil activity organizations in every field share the same problems of organizational operation. Many organizations and their leaders have the problem of succession as well as the problems of aging members and difficulties recruiting new members. Especially at the coming of the new fiscal year, many leaders in many organizations seem to start thinking about passing the baton to the next generation.

However, more than a few leaders keep this hang-up for many years. They think, “It's not easy to find a successor. I'm afraid that I have no other choice than to stay at this position a little longer...”

I know of some cases where leaders who have been responsible leaders for a long time are apt to cling to their positions and are reluctant to step aside. They may cling to their position, especially if the position involves power or honor.

But in a small organization such as a civil activities group, although the same may be true for large-scaled organizations as well, a leader does not only give directions to members, but also often needs to take the initiative in taking on problems or facing hardship. Although I think the position of leader can be pretty far from power, the leader must take the ultimate responsibility.

One of the essences of civil activities is voluntary action. On one hand it means “I act without being told to do so,” and on the other hand it means “Even if I am asked, I won't act unless I am convinced”. Indeed, we have this lack of constraint; however, any responsible action could not be put forward if every one said “I'll act only when I can”. Therefore we should design some solutions such as increasing members or breaking up roles and responsibility to avoid unfair work burdens being placed on limited members. But no ideas will go ahead unless someone works them out. Adjusting roles, looking for emergency substitutes, facilitating teamwork, etc: Who cares about these things? After all, the leader often undertakes them. In other words the leader must ultimately be responsible for the activity.

The role of leader is not limited to just a “responsible person”. In order to avoid the falling of their activities into mannerisms, he or she must organize a group into a challenging and creative one by setting new goals for activities that cope with the changing times. In some cases, a leader suggests a goal, and in other cases the members come up with one out of their discussions. In any case, one of the important roles of a leader is to create an appropriate atmosphere to cultivate a creative group.

Civil activities organizations neither set up easy-to-understand goals such as “making a profit”, nor obediently carry out activities passively provided by laws. We need to clearly explain our answers to such questions from our friends, acquaintances, and especially our family members as “Why do you do it, when it doesn't bring in any money?” as well as to promote activities to obtain more supporters. If we are so faceless as to say “I do it because I am asked” or “I do it because others do”, the activity will neither be emphasized nor gain any sympathy. If we could suggest a new concept of value or viewpoint or life style of which many people are not yet aware, we could open the door to a new era of developing creative activities.

Although you may find that it does not have anything to do with our current discussion, two great works come to mind. One is the “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King. In the time of extreme racial segregation against blacks, he clearly signals in his speech the coming of the time when people would be appreciated not by their color but by their personality. The other great work is the lyrics to the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. Both of them continue to influence many generations all over the world. Civil activities do not have as much impact as these individual cases, but our activities have been providing a lot of new suggestions and actions that carry them out.

For this reason I think of the organization that has unique and positive activity. The more charismatic a leader, the more unique and dynamic activities an organization has, it has. Consequently, more of those distressed leaders remain at their position. One of the attractive things in civil activities is that initiatives and wills can be pushed to the front by individuals, rather than by organizations, and accordingly individual acceptance is more valued. Because of this, the implications of the succession problem are all the more serious.

Now how should we train the prospective successor for his or her important part? When someone comes to me for advice on this issue, which I mentioned at the beginning of this column, my answer is, “You will fail in any attempt to develop a successor.” The Japanese equivalent for “successor” is “kokeisha,” which consists of three Chinese characters. The second one, “kei,” means “to keep up” or “to continue.” “Kokeisha” implies the wish of current leaders that those who are to take over their efforts should keep up what they have done and make it continue to grow. But civil activity is supported by the active, fresh energy of its members. It is difficult to develop that activity unless a new leader gives their full talent to it. Just following what their predecessors have done, saying “I will follow my senior or predecessor” may even cause a parabolic fall in the quality of activities. New leaders improve what their predecessors have done through their originality. This improvement revises or denies part of their predecessors' efforts. Therefore, I think it is better to abandon any attempt to develop a successor. Then, what should we do?

It is natural to entrust roles and authority to the coming generation in a positive manner. The important thing is not that we look for a successor, but that we should willingly appraise the situation so as to provide reform schemes. In other words, a trustworthy successor comes out when you can create a liberal atmosphere in which members give various new suggestions without reserve to the present leader, and some members start giving constructive ideas and carrying them out to change the prevailing conditions. If such people do not come along, and a leader's own dedication to the activity is faltering, he or she might need to think of ending the organization instead of forcing it to continue.

No one is the same in this world. So if a leader changes, its organization will change. I believe that our acceptance of this as a matter of course will make our organizations bring out the real power of civil activities.