Everyone’s Talking About Tony Blair’s Legacy, What Will Your Legacy Be?
With the focus last week on Tony Blair’s legacy as Labour’s longest serving prime minister (reference: The Telegraph 31/03/2006) the question for many executives who are moving closer to a time when they could chose retirement or continued service in their industry is, what will my legacy be?
Some of us have more time to think about this, and others of us have more choices, depending on where we are in our careers and what we’ve contributed to date in our working environments or generally in our lives.
And there is the risk that the legacy we leave may not always be seen in a positive light by others, as Dean of Dean’s World puts it succinctly with regard to Tony Blair:
“But it’s the nature of politics I suppose to blame the guy at the top even for things he can’t reasonably be blamed for. I think Michael Barone has it right: Blair is going to leave office with an extraordinary legacy, having wrested control from the Conservative Party’s iron grip, seen continued strong economic growth throughout almost his entire term, and having bravely led the fight against tyranny in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Like Truman, or Churchill, he’ll be remembered quite positively I think, despite all the best efforts of his critics.”
The concept of a legacy is about having a significant and remembered result or effect that will leave a lasting change, impression or difference in the lives or environment of others. This is something we can give at a small, medium or large scale.
A vital element of executive coaching is the focus on your legacy, how you will be remembered, and what it is you want to be remembered for. With enough forethought and foresight, you can take the time and give attention to this concept, with a view to making a valid, effective, and valuable contribution in your chosen way to your organisation or society.
Executives have often been known to reach that point in their lives where so many goals and dreams have been fulfilled, where they feel they have achieved and satisfied so many of their financial and career aspirations, that they ask themselves: “Where do I want to go from here? What’s next for me? What can I now do for the benefit of others?”
Human nature starts with survival and ends with contribution. Now that I’ve taken care of me, what can I do to take care of others, who can benefit from what I have learned, from what I have to offer? The Dalai Lama refers to our greatest joy coming from ‘giving to others’ which is actually a selfish act since the giver is as much the beneficiary as the receiver.
And why not? If giving has the effect of a double-bonus, then all the more reason to give as much as we can at any point in time.
Whether you are in that place in your life where your legacy is something you’ve thought about, or you are just beginning to think about your legacy, you may find that simply being aware of how you naturally contribute in your own world around you and how you would like to be remembered is a useful first step in this process for you.
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