‘The legacy you leave is the life you lead’ John Kouzes, award winning author of The Leadership Challenge
With the G20 summit and world leaders on parade, it is an apt time to consider the concepts of legacy. Defined as ‘material or immaterial thing handed down by predecessor‘, I believe for leadership, it has become to mean more about how you will be remembered.
Taking on the legacy left by George W Bush, which is defintiely NOT immaterial, Barack Obama has the eyes of the world watching how adroitly his leadership will deliver us from it.
On a stage nearer home, have you ever considered what legacy as a leader you would like to leave? This may not be on your demise, but on your retirement, or when you leave your current position. As leader of your business or family, do you wish to be remembered as another Obama, Mandela, Pankhurst, Mother Teresa, Brown, Blair, Branson, Welch, Sugar, or as …… ‘What’s his/her name?
Try writing your own obituary. What would you want it to say? Whatever it does say, you need to start living it today. The important thing is not to wait, but to start NOW. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. It takes time to build a strong, sustainable legacy.
With leadership comes responsibility and accountability, which is too often forgotten; to the cost of others. We have seen this in the recent financial corporations and political expenses fiascos. Integrity is a key expectation of followers. This requires defining your values and living them daily, being honest to yourself and others in all that you do. People need to trust their leader. Their eyes will be on you, and they will be judging you constantly. No pressure then!
If you would like to know more about what sort of leader you are, and the type of legacy you are going to leave, please contact Ken to arrange the new ILM72 leadership style profiling, or for details of our brand new Living Leadership Daily course starting on June 17th.
Please comment on the type of legacy you would like the G20 summit to create, or who’s leadership you admire the most.
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