Leadership and Legacy
Some individuals become organization leaders by choice; others, by chance. Either way, both types of leaders often wake up one day wondering: "Now that I'm actually in a leadership role, what is it that this organization is really all about? Come to think about it, what is it that I'M really all about? I seem to spend all of my time putting out fires, answering to the organization's owners, riding herd on my managers and staff, and making sure we have enough cash flow to meet payroll. Is that what leadership is all about?"
The answer, of course, is "no." The cause of the problem can be found in two principle areas: (1) the lack of a compelling vision (with a plan for how to get there) that the leader can articulate to his or her followers, and (2) a proper organizational structure that maximizes the ability of the organization to achieve the desired vision. Because there are volumes of business books devoted to organizational development, I will instead address the first of the two ideas identified above.
The degree to which a vision is compelling is directly related to the degree to which the achievement (and pursuit) of that vision resonates with the stakeholders' "will to meaning." The more the organization is able to articulate - to itself and its other stakeholders - a compelling reason for the organization's existence (how the organization is going to make life better for its customers, employees and owners), the greater the likelihood that the organization will set up the means to achieve that vision.
For many organizational leaders, the connection between the organization's purpose and the leader's own "will to meaning" is a very personal thing. Being so personal, many choose to ignore the relationship altogether or gloss over it superficially. This is a mistake. In my experience, effective leaders are those who see and consistently work to understand the inextricable link between their own will to meaning and the work being pursued through the organization.
If you are struggling with this concept, it may be because you find it difficult to start from where you are and build (in your mind) a plan for going forward. Your current situation may make it impossible to think positively or creatively about how to go from "here to there." If that's the case, think in terms of "legacy" and ask yourself: "What do I wish to leave when my work life is over? What are the things that, if I applied my unique gifts and talents, I could bring into this world that currently don't exist and that would be beneficial?"
From there, it's a matter of working backwards: project yourself into the future and create a clear picture of your legacy in place. What did you need to accomplish in order to create that legacy? What were the key benchmarks along the way that allowed you to know that you wree on track? What strategies did you use to achieve each of the intermediate steps? What specific actions did you have to take "way back" when you first got started (today) in order to set off in the right direction? Who was part of the team along the way?
Another way to help you design an organization that will help you deliver on your legacy is to ask and answer 4 key questions (I have to pause here and give credit to my friend Lanny Goodman, an exceptionally gifted business consultant from whom I've borrowed and slightly modified these questions):
1. What legacy do I wish to leave (at work, with my family, my community, my friends, etc.)?
2. How can my business help me achieve that?
3. What would such a business look like?
4. How do we get it to look like that?
For me, the first question above is directly related to the 3 Life Questions identified by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her book "On Death and Dying" (sorry to tie in a book with such a morbid title, but it is what it is): (1) Did I give and receive love?, (2) Did I become all that I could be?, and (3) Did I leave the world a little better?
I believe that successful leaders understand - consciously or unconsiously - the connection between these 3 Life Questions and the 4 organizational questions listed above.
The answer, of course, is "no." The cause of the problem can be found in two principle areas: (1) the lack of a compelling vision (with a plan for how to get there) that the leader can articulate to his or her followers, and (2) a proper organizational structure that maximizes the ability of the organization to achieve the desired vision. Because there are volumes of business books devoted to organizational development, I will instead address the first of the two ideas identified above.
The degree to which a vision is compelling is directly related to the degree to which the achievement (and pursuit) of that vision resonates with the stakeholders' "will to meaning." The more the organization is able to articulate - to itself and its other stakeholders - a compelling reason for the organization's existence (how the organization is going to make life better for its customers, employees and owners), the greater the likelihood that the organization will set up the means to achieve that vision.
For many organizational leaders, the connection between the organization's purpose and the leader's own "will to meaning" is a very personal thing. Being so personal, many choose to ignore the relationship altogether or gloss over it superficially. This is a mistake. In my experience, effective leaders are those who see and consistently work to understand the inextricable link between their own will to meaning and the work being pursued through the organization.
If you are struggling with this concept, it may be because you find it difficult to start from where you are and build (in your mind) a plan for going forward. Your current situation may make it impossible to think positively or creatively about how to go from "here to there." If that's the case, think in terms of "legacy" and ask yourself: "What do I wish to leave when my work life is over? What are the things that, if I applied my unique gifts and talents, I could bring into this world that currently don't exist and that would be beneficial?"
From there, it's a matter of working backwards: project yourself into the future and create a clear picture of your legacy in place. What did you need to accomplish in order to create that legacy? What were the key benchmarks along the way that allowed you to know that you wree on track? What strategies did you use to achieve each of the intermediate steps? What specific actions did you have to take "way back" when you first got started (today) in order to set off in the right direction? Who was part of the team along the way?
Another way to help you design an organization that will help you deliver on your legacy is to ask and answer 4 key questions (I have to pause here and give credit to my friend Lanny Goodman, an exceptionally gifted business consultant from whom I've borrowed and slightly modified these questions):
1. What legacy do I wish to leave (at work, with my family, my community, my friends, etc.)?
2. How can my business help me achieve that?
3. What would such a business look like?
4. How do we get it to look like that?
For me, the first question above is directly related to the 3 Life Questions identified by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her book "On Death and Dying" (sorry to tie in a book with such a morbid title, but it is what it is): (1) Did I give and receive love?, (2) Did I become all that I could be?, and (3) Did I leave the world a little better?
I believe that successful leaders understand - consciously or unconsiously - the connection between these 3 Life Questions and the 4 organizational questions listed above.
posted by Chris Kenny at
5:49 AM
