Legacy

I haven’t written a blog for several months. Because the loss of my Father was so painful and life altering, the tenderness of my heart was as much as could be managed. Working as an executive coach and advisor brings to each day a fair amount of emotion, and to marshal the various feelings were too much to write a blog too.
Every Christmas song on the radio brings a flood of memories; all good. My Dad’s legacy life began long before he aged or passed away. As a matter of fact, all of my clients at least hear about some of his legacy. You see the life-balance star that I use as a frame for my coaching has some of his life’s impact in its concept and design. Now, at Trove, Inc. we use the life-balance star to help our clients consider the five areas of human development: (1) their PROFESSIONAL LIFE, (2) their PERSONAL LIFE, (3) their PHYSICAL LIFE, (4) their LEGACY LIFE, and, (5) their SPIRITUAL LIFE.
That’s where my Father’s influence and “legacy” come in. There is no way that this blog could come close to honoring or even describing his legacy. It began long before his recent death. That is why and how I began to use it in my coaching sessions. When does one’s legacy life begin?
When I considered all that clients have to balance, some years back, legacy popped into my mind. It was not just the thought of how we acquire and leave financial legacies, but, when I thought of my Dad, legacy had a new meaning. It was about what we are “being” not what we are “doing” that matters most. Of course, if we are “doing” noble things because we are “being” noble then the tasks become more heroic. From early on in his career my Dad was about “being” – generous, thoughtful, kind, creative and relational. He was about “being” helpful, resourceful, funny and strong. He actually helped other kids become successful, along with, my sister and me. We discovered he had financed college and graduate school for kids that were struggling or whose parents and died early.
His legacy was alive and influential as he lived. It was even more apparent at his death when people from all over the US called or sent notes about things he did for them and how he had made a difference in their lives. People we would have never known he had influenced surfaced. That was a part of his legacy, not making a big deal about his kindness and generosity.
Leaders are conscious of their legacy. Where are you in this journey? Are you waiting to endow something? Or, are you living a legacy now? What are others seeing you “be” today?
If this concept is intriguing to you, email me.

rforbus@troveinc.com

2 Comments

  1. Jason November 30, 2011 2:47 am  Reply

    Thank you for authoring this post. One specific phrase caught my eye, “Leaders are conscious of their legacy.” There is much truth in those words. I believe that good leaders are both conscious and deliberate in the legacy that they leave. They know that they have the power to uplift, help, grow, develop, and inspire. Just as much as they have the power to do the opposite. So it all comes down to what they choose to do with their time and what they choose to leave behind. Jackie Robinson said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” Good leaders are conscious of their legacy.

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