Intentional Legacy

Are you building anything that you hope will outlast you?  Maybe something that will endure into generations in the future?  Every organizational leader should be intentional about what they leave behind at the end of their term.  Sometimes leaders are so focused on what to achieve that they fail to think of what will remain when they leave the team, the organization or even the world. Every leader needs to be intentional about their legacy.  Intentional legacy is a deliberate and purposeful approach to life that centers on not only making a positive impact on the world but also empowering others to multiply the impact. 

John Maxwell, the popular leadership guru talked about how he left a growing church early in his career, and after only about 6 months, everything fell apart.  In his words “I hadn’t trained anyone to take over in my absence.  While I was building my career, I didn’t include other people along the way…I had built everything around myself, and I gladly accepted the applause…”

Maria Klawe was the President of Harvey Mudd College, she stepped down this past June after 17 years of leading the college.  This is the longest term of Harvey Mudd College presidency since the founding president who led the college for 20 years.  She had various outstanding accomplishments, from growing the college’s visibility to positioning the college as a premier institution today.  Harvey Mudd College is one of those small but mighty colleges (you can google it if you want to know more). When she was asked to complete the prompt, “Leadership is…”, she responded “Enabling others to succeed”.  As she was leaving, a lot about what she accomplished was sung from the roof tops by people who she mentored, guided, and developed to various leadership positions.  Her legacy would continue in the works of the people she has led with.

Coming back to the story of John Maxwell, years later, he would learn his lessons, shift his focus and instead of making difference for people, he would work to make a difference with people.  And today he teaches this lesson profoundly, if you want to be significant and live a life that matters, you must add value to others.  

The shift from making a difference for people to making a difference with people according to John, is not a subtle shift, “it was actually a radical shift in my approach”.  He learnt to minimize his personal picture so he can see the bigger picture.  According to John, making the shift to intentional legacy, begins with knowing why and “continues with your unique gifts, talents, opportunities and resources”.  

Intentional legacy is driven by a clear sense of purpose and a vision of the impact one wishes to have on the world. Through intentional legacy, individuals not only shape their own lives but also influence the lives of countless others, creating a legacy that transcends time and contributes to a better, more compassionate world.

In my “leading as uniquely you” program, I help leaders and emerging leaders use their God given talents and unique gifts to grow impact and influence.  To find out how to become intentional in adding value to others and multiply your impact, leave me a note to start the conversation.