During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day. (2 Samuel 18:18 NIV)

Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), every person has been born in a state of rebellion against God. This rebellion is expressed by a bias to sin, particularly the sin of pride. A corollary to the sin of pride is self-centeredness.

Jesus provided the antidote for the sin problem through His death on the cross. Those who profess to be His disciples are therefore called to put aside their self-centeredness and live for Christ (i.e., die to self).

For many the concept of "dying to self" is more a theory than a reality. How do you really accomplish this?

The workplace provides a venue to practice the principle of "dying to self." For example, consider the issue of succession planning in organizations. Wise business leaders and managers recognize that all of us will eventually die. If management teams fail to train and prepare the next generation, then upon the passing of those management teams, their organizations have a significant risk of failure. However, if management continually trains and prepares each succeeding generation, then organizations can grow and prosper without limit.

Training the next generation can be expensive. There can be sizable investments associated with such training with little payback in the foreseeable future. In cultures that value instant gratification, generational training requires great discipline and commitment.

Training the next generation is often a thankless job. There is seldom any glamour or glory to the work. The training is usually not highly visible inside or outside the company. In other words, training the next generation does not readily stroke the ego of the trainers. This is "dying to self."

Here is your business tip. There are only two ways to build an organization—either you build monuments to yourself or you build sons (generically speaking). Building monuments to yourself is self-centered single-generational thinking like Absalom's (see text above). Building sons is selfless multi-generational thinking. You glorify God by building sons who will continue the legacy of the organization after you are gone. Therefore succession planning is a vital strategy for the long-term success of your organization.