Joshua analogy

I am always blessed that the Bible contains examples that have modern analogies. Take Joshua. Joshua followed a great iconic charismatic leader. We see lots of examples in business of this. Joshua represents something fairly common in business. He took over for the accepted founder.

Moses had his weak times early on and at first no one accepted him. But when he died he was revered as a multi-talented genius. Joshua is his protege. He has been helping Moses since he was a youth. He is Moses hand picked successor. He is also God's hand picked successor. But now, in the book of Joshua, he is on his own to guide a mobile nation into battles and then settling the new land. His role is a continuation of what Moses was doing but also something new. The world is changing around him.

In businesses the second generation of leadership, following after the successful founder, often has trouble continuing the vision. Often the most successful second CEO takes the company in a new direction. But many hand picked successors try to maintain the company as it is. As the world changes this usually stymies growth. At best the successor can only keep the same size and manage the asset that the founder created.

A good example is Apple Computer and founder Steve Jobs. Finally Jobs is out for good. He died of cancer, not terribly old. He is finally gone. His hand picked successor is doing a pretty good job. He is trying to keep up the visionary ways that allows Apple to stay ahead in the fast changing technological industry. But the new leaders just do not have Job's special vision. They are working to maintain. But in technology old products and methods are quickly replaced. Maintaining is not going to work. So far Apple is still successful. But it is different now.

Disney Pictures is a good example of a company trying to maintain the assets that the founder created. No one has had the vision of Walt Disney. There have been some successes yet the successors to Walt Disney mostly maintain the assets he created profitably. Disney himself started the procedure used to milk the blockbuster movies by re-releasing them every so often. The theme parks get renewed with new attractions. But really the leaders of Disney are maintaining what the founder created many years ago.

It is hard to follow the successful founder. Joshua is trying to do that. He tries to build on what Moses did. He tries to use his same techniques. But he also creates new things on his own, building on the foundation that Moses left. Of course Joshua is also following God and God speaks to him and gives him favor, as long as he stays obedient. That part makes it different than the business leader analogy. Still I get the impression that Joshua follows God as best he can, still he thinks of Yahweh as Moses' God. He is in the shadow of Moses for a long time. But in his old age he becomes a faithful beacon that those after him try to emulate. Unfortunately they begin to forget how and lose their zeal.