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Intentional Leadership — D2, W4, M7 — Legacy

John Maxwell reinforces the need to ensure you have a values match when you join an organization. This is worth serious consideration, because is you don’t heed his advice and join an organization with which you don’t share values, you will soon find yourself in an uncomfortable position, having to decide whether to stay true to who you are and what you value or take actions that are contrary to your convictions in order to be considered a “team player” and move forward with a direction you don’t necessarily believe in our support.

This is also true when you are choosing people to carry on your legacy. When you have a values match, it’s easier to commit and what you’ve built has a much better chance of lasting.

So what do you value?

Take some time to write down your tip five values. Keep in mind, these are the things you would not trade or compromise for anything…including the last seat on the last lifeboat off the Titanic!

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Now, who do you know who shares your values and in whom you can invest to carry on your legacy? Keep in mind, they don’t have to do it all exactly as you would, and ideally will think different thoughts than you (this is why diversity in healthy teams is so critical…otherwise, you end up with tunnel vision and miss all kinds of opportunities and don’t see obstacles before you hit them!). List at least three people you need to start investing in on a regular basis to give your legacy a longer life.

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W4, M7 — Legacy

As this is our fourth, and last week focused on Legacy, it’s time to get serious about what we can be doing to ensure we are developing a sustainable legacy.

Yes, I’m talking about not just developing a positive, long-lasting legacy in terms of what people remember and say about you when you are gone. I’m talking about developing successors who will carry on the work and culture you put in place while you were the leader.

John Maxwell talks about this in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, when he talks about leaders developing leaders rather than developing followers. It’s about helping others grow, along with your business.

You can see this in real life when you study businesses or other organizations after a particularly effective leader moves on. One example you might read up on is Southwest Airlines. Beyond building a successful airline, Herb Kelleher left a legacy of developing leaders within his organization. He had a unique style and developed a unique culture within the organization, and he didn’t want it to just be a cult. He wanted it to survive him and continue to thrive.

To make that happen, he brought in strong, talented people and helped develop their skills and leadership abilities. You see, it wasn’t all about Herb; he wasn’t doing what he did just so he could stand in the spotlight alone; he enjoyed training others so they could shine, too. It was intentional on his part.

The technical training is important, but it’s not what will allow people to step confidently into their potential. It takes much, much more than that.

To build the foundation for a lasting legacy, one must embed mission and culture in the lives of their successors.

Your action for today: What can you do to convey the mission and culture of your organization to its future leaders?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M7 — Legacy

Good morning and Happy Friday! It’s been another fast and busy week and I can’t believe we are in week three of month seven! It’s been a full week. Had a few coaching sessions, participated in a day-long off-site meeting related to a major project I’ve been involved with over the last 18 months — lots of examples of growth over time, increased awareness, and still opportunities for growth in the future. Taught a really powerful lesson on the Terror Barrier for my Empowerment Mentoring participants — along with a few guests. I have to say, that group of people are so often the highlight of my week because they are so open to and hungry for growth. And had a really good call with my coach, Maureen McIntosh, — working on focus, scheduling, and productivity; this process is so powerful and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with her. I’ve also had some really good work-outs with a new fitness program I’ve committed to (who knew I’d be stretching myself emotionally, spiritually, and literally physically all at the same time?!).

As I said last Friday, I’ve been working hard to be more focused to ensure my time is spent productively, and not just busily. It’s paying off! It truly is a process and will not change completely overnight, but I see progress and it feels good. As with each week, I have some writing to do, preparation for next week’s Empowerment Mentoring lesson on Gratitude . Still have some preparation for some trips coming up in a few weeks. And clean up my house!

With respect to building my legacy, I can honestly say I think about this every day and do my best to be mindful of the short- and long-term effects of my words and actions. I want them to be positive effects; I want to be a + in other people’s lives, not a -.

What about you? What do you have planned for this weekend?

Who will you spend it with?

What do you need to do to set yourself up for success on Monday?

What’s going on in your life in the coming weeks and months that you need to spend some time thinking about and planning for?

However you spend it, make it intentional!

Remember…whatever it is you’re doing, it’s building your legacy!

“See” you on Monday!

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