Tee-ing up your leadership Legacy

I wrote this article for a golfing magazine and thought I would share it.

While you are mapping what is in front of you, you need to think about what you want to leave behind you. Legacies can be accidental or intentional, your call!

Figuring out What's Next includes how it maps into the legacy you want to create.

Enjoy the article and share your thoughts.?

"All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine." - Jim Rohn.

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“You mattered. Your impact was felt for generations.” That's your legacy. It's how you live every day in and out of the office. It includes the influence on your companies, the individuals mentored, and the values exemplified. With the demands of work, it's easy to let time go by, and at the end of your career, wonder, "What's my legacy?"

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A leadership legacy expands a company beyond what is currently visible, helps others believe in themselves, and positively impacts careers and lives. Most importantly, it includes being a role model people would be proud to emulate. It’s powerful being vulnerable enough to share your challenges and failures as well as your wins. Showing humanity in your journey inspires others to know they can have stumbles and still achieve greatness. Perfection is not inspiring; overcoming is.?

So, how do you start defining your legacy?

?It falls into three categories:

1. Be

2. Do

3 Create

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1. Be is about how you're known, and the values demonstrated throughout your career. Examples are confident, competent, impactful, inspirational, motivational, kind, and compassionate. Leaders also aspire to be upbeat, courageous, great listeners, supportive, a champion for others, a person of integrity, and light up a room. What words do you think others use to describe you today? Is there a gap between how you want to be seen? What are you doing to close that gap?

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2. Do is the historical decisions made in your career and the outcomes created. Taking a company public, landing major clients, growing the company, developing best practices, or founding a company yourself are worthy legacy impacts. What contributions are most memorable? What big moves are you ready to execute that cement your legacy?

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3. Create is the future leaders you developed, exponentially increasing the impact of your influence. These new leaders adopt your values and methodologies. It's a responsibility one should not take lightly. People matter most in this world. Invest in them and encourage the new generation of leaders to pass on your teachings to others. You are shaping future careers and have the opportunity to be the most significant influence in their trajectory. What values do you want to pass on? What are key lessons you believe all future leaders should learn?

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It is never too early or late to start thinking about your legacy. Put the same intention behind it you have in your career.

Create a recipe for a powerful legacy.?

Questions to ask yourself:

?How do you Be, Do, and Create?

What are your positive contributions?

For what would you like to be known?

What are the values you embody?

What impacts on the company have you not executed yet?

Of what are you most proud??

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Do you want help building your legacy framework? Let's chat at www.idare2benow.com ?