Leadership Legacy
January 09, 2012 at 7:29 AM
A former client and friend died this past week. He was a young man who had a big impact on the world around him as demonstrated by the outpouring of love at the news of his passing. People spoke about how he had touched the lives of the many people around him in a positive way. As a musician, his legacy will be his music and the way it moved people and encouraged them to soar to greater heights.
Steve, a successful finance executive is being transitioned out of his organization due to a downsizing. While meeting with him yesterday I asked what will be different at the organization as a result of his being there – what will be his leadership legacy? “I wished I had thought of that sooner – I might have behaved differently” was his reply.
Both the death of my friend and Steve’s departure from his organization have made me pause and ask myself ‘What will be my legacy?’
So often we think about our legacy, whether as a leader or as a human being, at the end of our career. It’s when we are transitioning out of a particular role – or our life - when it is too late to do anything about it. In doing so our legacy reflects either the best of worst of us, depending on how we moved through our team, organization, community or the world. Our legacy is being shaped all the time by the words we speak, the actions we take, the way we treat others and the way we live. Robert Galford and Regina Fazio Maruca, in their book, Your Leadership Legacy, say that “… your legacy will be revealed in how people think and behave as a result of spending time with you.”
Galford and Maruca go on to say that we should start thinking about our legacy now, rather than just before we change jobs or retire and that by doing so you will greatly increase the odds of leaving a legacy that reflects your best qualities, making you happier and a better leader for it. Clarification of what you would like others to take away after spending time with you will allow you to gain a better understanding of yourself, your role as a leader and your part in the world around you.
I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want my legacy to be. When the time comes for me to step back and ask myself what’s different as a result of my time here on earth I want to know that I’ve made the world a better place by helping people connect to who they are as a leader and find a way to use that to serve the world around them. With this in mind I take time to regularly reflect on how I work and live and make sure the words I say and the actions I take support me in building this legacy.
What about you? What will your legacy be? I encourage you to reflect on your own legacy and the ways you are working towards shaping it. Life is precious and time is fleeting. Take control now and, when the time comes, look back with satisfaction and pride.