The Legacy We Leave Behind As Leaders

What do all these people have in common?

• Alfred Nobel?
• Michael Jackson?
• Thomas Jefferson
• Elvis Presley?
• Steve Jobs
• Moses?
• Any other religious leader?

Can you see a pattern??

Well, in truth there is none, but all of these people are still remembered decades, centuries, and even millennia after they have passed. People still talk about them, people still study them, and some even follow them.

The common denominator between all these people is twofold. They were leaders in their industries or communities, and they left behind a legacy. A legacy is when people remember you and keep talking about you well after you passed on from this world.??

That’s what we’ll explore in this month’s newsletter.?

We’ll talk about what Legacy Leadership is and what you can do today that will have your message and influence outlive you and live on to impact many more in generations to come.?

Enjoy the newsletter, and please feel welcome to share your insights and input.?

What is Legacy Leadership??

The way I define legacy is “The actions taken today that leave a long-lasting impression on the people you come in contact with and on your immediate surroundings.”?

As humans, we are always, on some level, in a leadership position. Whether we hold the position of husband or wife. If we are a parent.If we are a community member. Or in our case, if you are in business.?

Legacy Leadership in the Business World

There are 30-something leadership styles. At some point in your career, you will find yourself using any one or a combination of those styles.?

Some leadership styles are better than others, such as the Dictator and Autocrat. But we will focus on the positive and more popular ones that are Servant and Transformational.?

Servant leadership in a business setting is when the entrepreneur or business owner focuses on serving their clients and team members in the best way they possibly can. The servant leader gives everything they have to serve their people in a way that makes them feel important.?

Transformational leadership in a business setting takes the servant style one step further. Not only does the business owner serve their people in the best way possible but all the people that the business owner comes into contact with feel that they are better off and forever changed by the interaction - thus they feel transformed.?

Legacy leadership in the business setting takes the transformational style one step further. In the sense that the people are not only forever transformed, but they are so significantly impacted by the interaction that they are sitting with their grandchildren and telling them stories of how the business owner had an impact on their lives.?

How To Leave a Legacy??

The natural question is “How do I leave this legacy”??

The answer is that it’s not something you have control over. The harder you try to leave a legacy, the less likely you will be to. Legacy is the outcome and the gift you are awarded when you take all the right steps during your lifetime. Legacy is given to you once you’ve passed on. Legacy is the things that are said about you when you’re not around.?

My guess is that legacy isn’t the most popular thing around because people want to see the fruits of their labor in their lifetime. To that, I would say, if awards in your lifetime are so important to you, then perhaps legacy isn’t your thing.?

However, if your family, company, team, community, and surroundings are important to you, the biggest gift you can give them is to leave behind a legacy. In short, legacy is the most selfless thing you can leave behind and the thing that will outlive you - way beyond your time.

Leaving a legacy isn’t about leaving a legacy. The legacy is created as an outcome of steps we have taken during our lifetime that have left an impact and a mark on the people around us.?

Here are some steps we can take today that will leave a legacy:?

Step 1 - Provide Value To People?

In business, we want to focus on the other people first. Throughout this newsletter we spoke at length of its importance and how we shift that focus away from us and onto the people we serve. The important thing to remember is that when we talk about people, we are not only talking about our prospects and customers. We are also talking about our teams, colleagues, vendors, contractors, investors, neighbors, communities, and anyone else who comes into contact with us - both personally and professionally.?

A great question to ask is “How are the people around me benefiting from my being in their life?”?

Step 2 - Leave A Lasting Impact On People?

The next step is to think about the actions you take and how they directly impact the people you come in contact with.?

Think of a boxing athlete. The goal is to knock out the opponent. What do both athletes do? They throw punches at each other. In effect, the one that throws the strongest punches most consistently wins. In other words, the one that impacts the other more, wins.?

Similarly, in business and life, the impact we have on other people isn’t that they are our opponents and it doesn’t have anything to do with throwing punches. You won’t be remembered too favorably for that. Rather - it’s about sending positive “impacts” in a way that improves the other person’s life.?

A great question to ask is “How are my actions affecting the people I come in contact with?”?

Step 3 - Lead Yourself First?

To lead others and truly have an impact on others, we need to begin with the “man in the mirror ” (or woman).?

Leading yourself will require you to do work on yourself. You begin by understanding that people are people and you have no control over how they react or respond to your actions and what you do.

Some people will like you, some won’t - that’s just the natural human condition.

A great question to ask is “What can I do to best serve my people to the best of my ability, whether they like me or not?”?

Step 4 - Work On Your Attitude and Character?

Our actions are driven by our attitude and character.

When we have a negative attitude about things people get repelled, but when we have a positive attitude, people are attracted.

The only way to affect true change or have a truly positive impact on people has everything to do with how we actually behave and act.

Think back to the introduction of this newsletter, where we spoke about people who have left behind legacies and we still talk about them. For the most part, many of these people left behind positive legacies. However, the reality is that there are also negative legacies that people left behind - just think about the devil that is responsible for World War II (may his name be forgotten).

That sicko was so influential, he persuaded so many people to follow him, yet look at the atrocities he left behind him as his legacy.?

A great series of questions to ask is “What change do I want to see in the world? What change do I need to have within myself? How can I be a better person than the person I was yesterday?”?

Step 5 - Shift Your Mindset?

Working on ourselves is very difficult, it is why most people look for ways to justify “this is just the way I am” or prefer being in denial.

There are so many people who are totally blind to the reality of how their behaviors and actions are affecting their happiness and success.?

It all begins with our mindset.

Are you allowing your “judger mindset” to take over?

Are you aware of your “learner’s mindset”?

Are you governed by the “abundant mindset” or by the “scarcity mindset”??

Are you of a “fixed mindset” or “growth mindset”??

Yes, many of these have now become buzzwords and cliches, however, they play a critical role in your success. Your mindset will be the key to turning your life around or holding you back.?

A great question to ask is “Am I a victim of my circumstances or is there something to grow from this situation?”?

***

These steps take time to develop and work through. In fact, they are part of what makes up our life’s journey. No one is perfect, so don’t think you will be perfect in each section. The more you work on each of these areas of your life, the more impact you will have on your surroundings, and the more people will remember you.

Legacy is the reward we receive at the end when each of these areas has been developed throughout our lifetime. We get a chance to write that legacy now.?

Have you ever heard of Alfred Nobel ?

What would you think he’s most famously known for?

Yes, he’s the guy who founded and established the Nobel Prize . But the real question is, what got him to create this prize in the first place??

It all began on a fateful evening in 1888 when he was reading a newspaper, and in the obituary section found his obituary written, calling him “The Merchant of Death”. This was a mistake on behalf of the newspaper where they mistaken Alfred’s death for his brother, Ludvig’s death. Alfred Nobel is the inventor of TNT - or dynamite, he amassed his tremendous wealth from the invention of explosives that have facilitated mass levels of destruction and death. Alfred was absolutely beyond himself, this is not how he wanted to be remembered.

Alfred decided to think of how he could write his legacy. He, therefore, came up with an idea of how he could use his wealth to benefit humanity and society. That’s how the Nobel Prize was born.

Not all of us are lucky enough to read our obituary like Alfred Nobel was, but we do have the opportunity today to begin writing our legacy and shape the way people will talk about and remember us.

This is the part where you are invited to take action. You can start some of that work on yourself in bite-sized pieces. Sign up for our free 5-Day Strategic Ignitor Challenge . Each day you’ll receive an email with a challenge if you choose to accept, and it should be completed in 24 hours. It’s an email that you’ll look forward to getting! Ignite your inner master strategist today.?

Yermi Kurkus works with business professionals who want to build strategic relationships, grow their profitability, and create a lasting impact.

We invite you to reach out to us with any questions or feedback. We also love to partner and collaborate with fellow coaches, consultants, and business owners with sales teams. Reach out to learn more about various programs we have available and consider inviting us to your virtual or in-person event as a speaker, presenter, or corporate training.?

Contact us by DM on LinkedIn or by sending us an email: [email protected] ?