1. Leaving a Legacy-The Right Way to Make Your Mark
Last week we had Mom on our minds, and all the lessons we learned from her. As a mother
myself, I can't help but think about the lessons I will pass on to my kids. There are the obvious
and deliberate lessons we teach them like looking both ways before crossing the street, saying
please and thank you, balancing a check book (that one may soon be obsolete), and so on.
We also teach our kids a lot just by the way we live, by example. We show our character in the
habits and choices we make, and this is likely where we leave the most lasting impression. This
is true in the workplace as well, and I wonder if we give enough thought to our legacy.
In a culture that is fast moving and geared towards easy instant gratification, how much thought
do you give to the future? I'm not talking about your future, but rather what you leave behind for
those who come after you. If you were to leave your job today, what would you leave behind? A
great new product, idea, or process improvement? Would it be a mystery or a mess?
One of the greatest mistakes I’ve seen (and made, truth be told) in the office and elsewhere is
creating the illusion of being indispensable. People often think the way to prove their importance
is to make it seem as if the place would fall apart without them. The problem is, if the place does
fall apart without you, you are limiting yourself as well as booby-trapping your company (or
family or volunteer organization or whatever).
I would suggest that if you really want to be somebody, it is your obligation to form and inform
the future - and make yourself redundant rather than indispensable.
You can’t leave both a void in your absence and a legacy of success. If you want to rise above
seat warmer in your organization, you not only need to think about how you can contribute now,
but how your contribution will impact those who come after you. That means having a transition
plan or exit strategy that involves more than handing off the passwords to your company
accounts. It means testing, trying, building and teaching others to do what you do and know what
you know, empowering others to take your work and put their own mark on it. Real success is
when someone wants to be who you are: a person of generosity, boldness, character, and
creativity, vision - whatever it is that makes you awesome.