Today’s leadership equals tomorrow’s legacy.
I love the concept of leadership legacy. At the crux of things, it’s about your impact, both now as well as beyond any one role you fulfil. It’s about your influence remaining in perpetuity in a positive, impactful way. It’s a somewhat tricky concept to define, but it’s one that’s made visible by your colleagues’ behaviour and beliefs in the aftermath of working with you.
There’s a beautiful proverb that’s been attributed to the Romans as well as the greek philosophers that goes along the lines of:
‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they’ll never sit in.’
There’s another quote by someone who is not quite a philosopher but has endless wisdom (Maya Angelou) that’s shared quite a bit:
'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
Both of these quotes speak to me of leadership legacy. Neither the shadow cast by a tree or how you make people feel, happens overnight, but instead requires intentional, long term vision.
Leadership legacy is a reflection of you, your behaviours and attitudes. It’s about your outcomes and accomplishments while in a leadership role, but it’s also about your ‘vibe’ enduring beyond your time in that role.
Speaking of reflection: this is how you can intentionally craft and carve a leadership legacy, as it gives clarity and perspective that we often can’t see in the day-to-day. I’d love to encourage you to reflect on the concept of legacy:
Think about your own desired legacy as well as the legacy of others that you have experienced during your career. What do you want your leadership to be remembered for? How do you want to be perceived?
With reflection comes analysis:
How are you leading in the day-to-day? Are your behaviours and actions aligned with your values? How would you characterise your interactions with your colleagues, employees, teams, staff and stakeholders? Are you living your legacy now?
That last question is the kicker— legacy isn’t front of mind in the immediacy of putting out fires and problem solving. It’s future-focused and enduring, with an emphasis on long term impact on people and culture. It’s about the foundations of a future, knowing that every action is a building block of legacy. How you show up today sets the scene for how your leadership will be remembered. Back to our ancient philosophers: the tree you plant today will cast shade for the future. What do you want that to look like? How do you want your leadership legacy to be distinguished?
Lead well until next time.
