In an organization, the predecessor is the one who used to occupy a position that today belongs to someone else
The etymology of predecessor refers us to late Latin, more precisely to the word praedecessor . This is the name given to someone who, in a position or position, preceded another .
Someone who was before
A predecessor, therefore, is someone who was before another person in a certain position . In this framework, the one who came later can be called the successor .
Take the case of the presidency of the United States . Currently, the president is Donald Trump , who took office in January 2017 . Previously, the president was Barack Obama , in charge of the US executive branch between 2009 and early 2017 . Barack Obama can be said to have been Donald Trump 's predecessor; or that Donald Trump was Barack Obama 's successor.
We can easily understand what the notion of predecessor refers to if we review the history of a sports team and its coaches. Let's see what happens with the San Antonio Spurs , one of the most successful franchises in the NBA . In 1996 , the head coach was Bob Hill . The poor results led managers to fire him and appoint Gregg Popovich as his replacement, a man who is still in office. Popovich 's predecessor was Bob Hill , since Hill carried out the functions that, after his dismissal, Popovich began to fulfill.
It is important to keep in mind that the nickname of predecessor depends on the specific context. Returning to the first example , Obama was the predecessor of Trump , but not of George W. Bush or Bill Clinton . George W. Bush , in turn, was Clinton 's successor and Obama 's predecessor.
Etymology
As mentioned above, the term predecessor has its origin in Latin, more precisely in a cultured form. Its first appearances date back to the 4th century and we find them in the work of the Roman statesman and writer Quintus Aurelius Symmachus . Later, it was part of the literature of the Christian Church. The nuance that we must not miss is that in order to speak of a predecessor it is absolutely necessary that there be someone, the successor , who currently occupies his place (in the case of a position) or who continues his lineage (in the case of a family ).
Regarding its composition, this word exhibits the prefix prae- (which indicates a previous position in time or space, such as "in front of" or "before"), the noun decessor (one who has died, has gone or has left a position) and the suffix -tor (which in Spanish was assimilated to -sor (a person or object that executes what is expressed in the root; in this case, "that is before and leaves or dies "). All This originates from the verb decedere (which translates as "to leave, move away, die or withdraw"), which in turn is composed of the prefix de- (to move away downwards or decrease) and another verb, cedere (to withdraw, walk, march).
Our predecessors are those who lived before us in the same context
Respect for predecessor
Each culture maintains a different relationship with its ancestors , both with people who have died and with those who precede others in employment or government positions. Depending on different factors, the attitude may tend more towards unquestionable respect or challenge with the desire to overcome them. In some cases, both attitudes can merge.
There are countries in which older people receive special respect simply because they have lived longer, because they have greater experience than young people. When they are gone, they are remembered as beacons pointing the way toward elevation, toward perfection. However, this does not prevent his successors from advancing further, to become new references in the endless cycle of life.