In our series on leadership attributes, we now look at the legacy that a leader leaves. I’ve previously written an article titled What Will Your Legacy Be? This article will focus specifically on the legacy that we leave as leaders.
In the Law of Legacy from John Maxwell’s classic book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell writes:
“Every person leaves some kind of legacy. For some it’s positive. For others it’s negative. But here’s what I know: we have a choice about what legacy we will leave, and we must work and be intentional to leave the legacy we want.”
Maxwell tells us that legacy is not leaving something for people. Legacy is leaving something in people. So, I want to address the question “What will you be leaving in the people you have had the privilege to lead?”
As I write this, I’ve been retired for more than eight years. Any results that I was proud to have achieved while working have been long forgotten. If I’m honest, it’s probably just a few people who even remember that I was a leader at the organization where I worked for nearly 38 years.
I’m not sure who first said this often-repeated quote (perhaps it was Maya Angelo), but I believe it’s true:
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you make them feel.
People will remember you for who you are, not what you did. Here are ten things people will remember about you that will help you leave a positive legacy with them:
- Always having time for others, even when you are very busy.
- Consistently putting others ahead of yourself.
- Being an encourager.
- Caring about others as individuals and not just a member of your team.
- Helping others to achieve their goals.
- Being trustworthy.
- Caring enough about others to be brutally honest about their performance.
- Mentoring emerging leaders.
- Being a good listener.
- Showing Christ’s love to them in how you treat them.
Maxwell has said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much your care. When you care about people and invest yourself in them, you are preparing them to carry on your legacy.
Leaders should want to leave a good legacy. Maxwell tells us that the best leaders lead today with tomorrow in mind by making sure they invest in leaders who will carry their legacy forward. That’s a good thought for you as you lead today.
This is an Adapted Excerpt From My Book “A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING:
40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Master”.
