Few people bother to think about what personal and professional legacy they would like to leave behind. When they do, it happens around the age of 40 or 50. At that point in your life, you have already accumulated a lot of experience, many achievements and start to become concerned with not letting all that fall by the wayside. It is at that moment in time that “leaving a legacy” really starts to gain relevance.
One time, a CEO at a multinational where I worked, 53 years old at the time, took part in a workshop with all the CEOs from the other countries. On his return, he was surprised by an unexpected question. His boss asked him what he wanted to leave as a legacy. He couldn’t answer – in actual fact, it was something he had never stopped to think about. His boss then asked him to reflect for an hour and write down on a sheet of paper what legacy he would like to leave…
Although that is a valid consideration – better late than never, after all-, the legacy we want to leave must be thought of as early as possible. In my opinion, if you make that clear right at the beginning of your career and pursue that objective, it will definitely bring you great benefits, whether you are a business owner or an employee in an organization. Here are some reasons to sustain that thought.
Creating a legacy is a chance to leave an impression on the world and be remembered for it. Something unique to you, that people will be able to recognize and say that exists because of you. It’s your creation, your baby! Something to make you very proud and understand that it was your contribution towards improving the world around you.
Sculpture (Photo: Samuel Zeller / Unsplash)
It is the opportunity for you to continue to influence the lives of many people, even when you are no longer present in everyday life, whether within the organization or the family environment. They are the values that you planted and the projects you raised. Your monument which will live on, permanently exhibited for all to see and remember you by.
A few years ago, my father decided to write and publish his professional biography (if you read Portuguese you can find that language version here). He spent a few years writing the book, together with my mother. He put a lot of work and dedication into the project. When the time came to publish, he was in doubt. The value of the first printing was high, and he didn’t want to launch a book in order to sell it to his friends. He hadn’t written it to make money.
So, I asked him why he had devoted himself so much to the book. He answered that he wanted to leave it as a legacy, for his grandchildren as well as for future military personnel, those at the beginning of their career and who could draw, through his story, some inspiration. I then suggested that he pay for the first printing and donate the books. Which is exactly what he did!
For months, he personally delivered a book to each and every person who had made a mark on his career and to all the teaching units in the Air Force. It was undoubtedly a very special moment of great achievement to him.
It’s very gratifying to work every day with the feeling that you are building something special, something which will make you very proud, that will outlive you and be passed on to your successors. That feeling is intense when we start to undertake business plans and get involved in our own business, with a lot of creative freedom. It’s also very stimulating when you work for an organization and realize how much you touch the lives of other people or that something only exists because of you.
Father and daughter (Photo: Picsea / Unsplash)
I remember when my first son was born and the multinational I worked for started a daycare centre for the female employees’ children. I thought that was a fantastic idea and I endeavoured to have the company, if there were vacancies left over, to allow the male emloyees to also take their children to the centre. This was denied at first, but I put in some work and dedication and managed to have the benefit extended to men too.
For almost two years, I was able to take my son with me to work. Years later, I was visiting that company and as I got into the elevator, I saw a father carrying his son. I broke into a smile and thought to myself: “He doesn’t know it, and never will, but he is only able to enjoy this moment with his son because of me”. It made my day!
A while ago, I wrote an article about life purpose. In the article, I talked about how the fact of being aware of your purpose could be a compass to guide your daily decisions and actions. To build a professional legacy that is closely connected to your life purpose has exactly the same effect. It will give you focus, strength, resilience, as well as providing inspiration and encouragement to pursue success in your career.
Do you understand now why I say it’s a waste to only think about this at the age of 50? At this stage of the game, you have already accomplished a lot, but have missed the opportunity of having led a more stimulating professional life, and of better quality, inspired by your life purpose and the will to build a pre-defined legacy. The secret here is to be aware of this throughout your life and let it guide your professional decisions.
By definition, your legacy is not important just to you. It’s also important to the people around you, who influence and are influenced by you, who believe in you and in what you say and do, in your life examples, the ones whose hearts are touched by you.
If you work with altruism and generosity and build success with those around you, you will inspire them to have faith in you and in what you do. These people become your accomplices and will take your legacy forward, exactly because they want your success to continue.
Believe me, few people will approach this subject with you throughout your professional life, even if they are professional career guidance specialists. It is most likely that the topic will really become relevant when you approach the age of 50. But I leave here the provocation and hope that the arguments above help you think and, who knows, lead you to define beforehand the legacy you wish to leave.
My desire is that you start to enjoy the benefits of building a career while being aware of your legacy and that you can share it with those around you. Good luck!
Cover photo credit – Father and son (Photo: Cecilie Arcurs / iStock)
