What's Your Legacy?
What will be your legacy?
The notions of driving change, being a stronger person and leader, and scaling and amplifying your impact, have been marinating in my brain for the last few weeks. After a 2-hour, mind clearing training ride, I’m realizing that what’s been stewing is “legacy.”
To me, legacy has always felt intimidating. It has felt lofty. It has felt beyond my capability, like something that truly remarkable people leave behind when they’ve passed on.
Over the last few weeks, a number of events and conversations have me looping back to being better, doing better, leaving things better. Bequeathing values that will make a difference in the lives of those that follow.
First, the Black Lives Matter movement and the overdue demand for police reform.
My son is not yet two years old. His history text books are going to talk about this time. What will be written? What side of history will we be on? Will I be proud to tell him how I contributed to changing our social structures?
Each and every one of us has the opportunity and obligation to bring about change. Will our legacy result in no mother needing to worry if her son is safe walking home? It better.
The second series of conversations that gets me thinking about legacy are the conversations I’ve been having with my clients about their goals and dreams.
The impact they want to have, the people they want to inspire, and the way they will leave their communities better than the way they found them is inspiring. From animal sanctuaries to authoring books to founding non-profits, they will touch the lives of many.
On their journeys to live their purpose, they will be modeling what it’s like to live into their values. They will bring insights, support, and services needed and valued by others. I get fired up and excited just thinking about it!
And that brings me to the third area where I find myself thinking about legacy, and that’s what it means to scale and amplify your impact as a business leader.
As I work with leaders, we’re often talking about scaling their capacity. That means developing their managers and developing their bench to be strong enough that throughout their team/department, there’s consistency, excellence, and a unified pull in the same direction.
When I think about the humans who have reported to me, teams I have lead, the team I continue to lead, my aim in working with them is to empower and develop them to a level that they feel confident in their decision making, trusted in their execution, and that they feel my genuine care for their well being. When we all move onto new roles and new companies, can I be remembered as the leader that challenged, changed, cared, and helped them to be their best?
When you think of your own legacy, what do you see? What do you want your kids to remember about you? What impact will your community have felt by your presence and contributions? How will your team members and co-workers speak of you when you’ve moved onto your next chapter?
These are big questions, and yet, their answers are likely the things that bring fulfillment to our lives. May we feel empowered and emboldened to leave a powerful legacy.
Photo by Jerónimo Bernot on Unsplash
