The word Legacy means (from Wiktionary.org) “something inherited from a predecessor; a heritage.  Example:  John Smith left as his legacy an enduring spirit of respect for the environment.”  And this definition - “something inherited from a predecessor” is the concept I want to talk about today. 

Many people fall into the trap of thinking that their legacy is about the company, building, work of art, or money they have made or created in their life.  However, success does not count for much if it does not live on after you are gone.  Only people live on.  Objects do not.

When I first started out my career, I wanted to be a great businessman and make a lot of money. That was it.  If you asked me how, I would tell you that I did not know, but I was going to be rich.  I was of course very immature and had no life experience.  As I grew and matured into my thirties, I wanted to create a great company and this company would become my legacy.  But as I built that company, I realized that the company itself had no life. The people who worked there did have life. So, I turned my attention to training leaders, building up leaders.  I started working with people that wanted to go to a Hole Nutha Level, but who needed someone to believe in them and give them a chance.  Hopefully, this attitude and spirit of caring about people and helping people will be a legacy that I impart into others that they carry on to others.

Developing Your Leadership Legacy

(Law #21, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C Maxwell)

1.    Know the Legacy you want to Leave

Leaders of others must first lead their own life well– not merely accepting the circumstances we find ourselves in but leading ourselves through them.  If we want to have a Legacy we need to decide what that Legacy will be and then decide to work to make that legacy happen.  

 

In order to create a Legacy it relies on your attitude:

· Must first care about others.

· Must appreciate how great an impact a good legacy can make.

· Must understand how UNimportant you are compared to the task with which you have been entrusted as a leader. 

2.    Live the Legacy you want to leave

There is a great saying, “I can not hear what you are saying because your actions are so loud.”  Basically, this means that you are saying one thing, but doing another.  Your actions must line up with what you say you want your legacy to be.  

In the book Today Matters, it states that the “secret of a person’s success is determined by their daily agenda.” So look at what you are doing each day.  The areas taking the most of your time are the areas of most importance to you.  Does your daily agenda line up with your priorities?

Personally, I spend at least 5 hours per week preparing for our leadership trainings.  It is all on my own personal time during the weekend, but this is important to me, it is what I want my legacy to be, and thus my weekly agenda is lining up with my legacy. 

There is often a natural progression to how leaders develop in the area of legacy, starting with the desire to achieve. 

· Achievement comes when leaders do big things by themselves.

· Success comes when leaders empower followers to do big things for the leader. 

· Significance comes when leaders develop leaders to do great things with them.

· Legacy comes when leaders put leaders in position to do great things without them. 

3.    Make sure to pass the Baton

If you have ever seen a relay race, you know that it’s one distance (usually 400 m) run in 4 segments (100 m) by 4 different runners.  While speed is important, being the fastest runner does not guarantee success in the relay because the most important part of a relay is the exchange of the baton.  This exchange area is very similar to the exchange of leadership that must take place between the leader and successor. 

· Mistake #1 – Leader is running to fast for the successor (wreck).

· Mistake #2 – The successor is running too fast for the leader (no hand off). 

· Mistake #3 – The leader is not ready to hand off the baton (no hand off).

· Mistake #4 – The successor is not ready to take the baton (no hand off)

A good handoff of the baton means the following:

· Leader understands the Law of Legacy and the need for a Successor.

· Successor understands the Law of Legacy and the need to be groomed for the position.

· Leader has prepared the successor for the handover.  It happens gradually, not all at once.

· Success and Leader are running at the same speed – sign of this is good communication and they begin to think alike in the vision of the company.

Most relay runners could never run a fast 400 m race on their own. They are good at 100 m and good at a handoff to another runner.  Likewise, a good leader knows his limits and hands responsibility off to a successor who can carry on.   

On of the greatest challenges of a leader is knowing when to begin to work to find a successor. Many people believe that a success means you are no longer needed in our current job.  And that is true.  However, you can not take on another opportunity if you have no one to pass the baton. 

Remembers a couple of weeks ago we discussed empowerment?  And we talked about having your hands full of rocks, which if not passed on to someone else, would cause you to miss out on a new opportunity because you were “too busy.”  Well, handing off rocks to someone else and training them to handle these rocks is the process of development of a successor. 

In closing, we all want to have a legacy.  We all want to be remembered by someone after we are gone but the best way to leave a lasting legacy is with a successor who carries on and improves upon your work.  

Lead On!

Sutton