“Happy birthday to me!”
Yes, this month I celebrate my annual trip around the sun. I’ll hold back telling you how many.
As I reflect on past birthdays, a clear image comes to mind:
BTW, Barbie was ‘born’ in March as well…
When I was a kid, my mom took a cake-decorating class at a local park where she learned to make these fancy Barbie cakes with intricate decorations made of buttercream frosting. It was almost too pretty to eat…well, almost.
I also remember inviting the neighborhood kids to our house for a birthday party. Lots of kid-friendly food and games, where I honed my competitive skills. My Hyper-Achiever in full bloom!
Birthdays prompt us to reflect on the past and ponder the future…and maybe see how far we’ve come over the years.
With several more years behind me than in front of me, I’m also starting to think more about legacy.
Legacy, as a strength, is defined as wanting ‘to create things that will outlast you, delivering a positive and sustainable impact.’
As I contemplate this definition, I can’t help but wonder…
- What have I created that will outlast me?
- What positive impact am I making on the world?
- Will that impact be sustained beyond the kind words people will say when I’m gone?
So, what does this have to do with leadership?
When I started speaking in front of leaders, an earlier iteration of my signature talk included a brief activity:
What words would you use to describe your best boss?
How about your worst boss?
The intention was to set up a conversation about leadership and the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ).
In the context of legacy, I can see how this question prompted each person on those rooms to immediate flash to that one leader who:
- cared
- listened
- was genuinely curious about them
Or…
- didn’t care
- didn’t listen
- was only concerned about their own success
So, when these people become leaders, whose leadership do you think they’ll want to emulate? To avoid?
This is legacy. Positive and sustainable impact.
Here are a few tips to create a positive leadership legacy:
Reflect on the past. Go ahead…answer those questions for yourself. What words would you use to describe your best boss? Your worst boss?
How have these attributes influenced how YOU show up as a leader?
I once worked with a Sales leader who was highly skilled at making me feel like I was the only person in the room. Often, I WAS the only person in the room, and he had a way of making me feel like nothing was more important than the conversation we were having in that moment.
It has been over 20 years since I worked with this leader, and I still remember the impact he had on me and how I choose to show up as a leader. That’s legacy.
Commit to the present. Considering your ‘best boss,’ what are the attributes that YOU want to adopt as part of your leadership style?
Given my experience with this Sales leader, I wanted to be a strong listener. I wanted others to feel like THEY were the only person in the room and that nothing was more important than the conversation we were having in this moment.
As a coach, this is a plus! It is my intention to be fully present to my clients and to hear what ISN’T being said. Only my clients can judge if I’m achieving what I intend.
As a leader, what would it mean to show up as your ‘best boss’ self?
Project into the future. The choices you make today create the legacy you leave tomorrow. How do you WANT others to describe that legacy?
There’s a visioning exercise that asks participants to imagine their retirement party. Everyone they have impacted in their lives is in attendance, and they all get a turn at the mic to share just HOW you have impacted them.
What words would you hope to hear at your retirement party?
Unfortunately, most of us don’t get the opportunity to hear how we’ve impacted others. Is there someone who has had a positive and sustainable impact on you?
Are you willing to let them know?
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” – Taylor Swift