A Leader's Legacy Is Formed by the Culture They Create

When long-time business leaders move on or retire, they often have a lingering effect on the companies they once steered. And their ongoing influence can either help the organization continue its upward trajectory or be an obstacle for the new guard to overcome.

Unfortunately, many leaders hoping to leave a positive legacy don’t think about it much before they depart. But whether they’re cognizant of it or not, a legacy is something they’re building every day on the job. Given the longevity of their imprint, leaders should be intentional about how their actions impact their organizations.

If you’re in charge of a company, what mark will you leave when you go?

How Building Trust Affects Legacy

Leaders Leaving Legacies owner Janette Braverman writes in Forbes that the power of trust is undeniable when leaving a legacy. She points out, “Legacy leavers operate in ways that build trust and transform lives.”

Her list of essential leadership traits that generate trust includes humility and compassion, characteristics that some leaders might find incongruous with progress. But the opposite is true, as former Starbucks President Howard Behar noted: “I learned that to be successful, I had to put people first, stop thinking that I had all the answers, and really listen to the people closest to the business."

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Omar Bradley was committed to being an empathetic leader. He reflected, “Far from being a handicap to command, compassion is the measure of it.” The U.S. Army War College Journal notes:

“General Bradley’s unique leadership traits and style revolutionized leadership theory. Unlike a number of his counterparts, Bradley was an unassuming leader who was polite, courteous, and collaborative. He was popular with subordinates and peers alike, for not only his human understanding and consideration of their needs, but also his humility.”

These traits led to a storied and highly successful career. And the journal concludes:

“His legacy endures as that of a pioneer who transformed how the military and business worlds view leadership.”

Your Legacy Isn’t Really About You

Highly successful leaders understand that their staff will reflect their legacies after they step aside. They know it’s not so much about what they do but what they empower their team to do.

Leadership consultant and professor Dr. Glenn Agung Hole shared his thoughts about legacy with LinkedIn:

“Achievement comes to people who can do great things for themselves. Success comes when they lead followers to do great things for them. But a legacy is created only when leaders put their people into a position to do great things without them.”

Heather Nevitt, Editor in Chief of Corporate Counsel and Global Leaders in Law at ALM Media, told LinkedIn that legacy is what you leave behind for your team to build on.

“To borrow a Boy Scout mantra, ‘Did you leave the place better than you found it?’ For me, that is the true definition of legacy and a leader. Not someone that demands respect or accolades, but one who empowers those around them to shine even after they start another adventure.”

And as Dr. Hole concluded, “When you can inspire those around you to pay it forward, you are creating your leadership legacy.”

The Culture You Build Will Create Your Legacy

Moneypenny CEO Eric Schurke points out that many leaders are only relevant to their companies while they’re in charge. In a Fast Company article, he notes that such leaders are too “focused on the now, the results, and the accolades.” Furthering this idea, Janette Braverman says that someone who leaves a positive legacy will always package their vision so that it can continue to evolve.

And to give their vision the means to grow, leaders must create a workplace culture that drives it forward before they step down.

Schurke drives the point home:

“The way you will be remembered comes down to how you align your values and behaviors, followed by those of your organization. If the behaviors that nurture the values aren’t defined and understood by all involved, there is absolutely no point.”

Schurke reminds leaders that their company’s culture is the “150,000 little things that make their organization unique and amazing.” In considering what they want their legacy to be, he suggests leaders ask themselves the following questions:

• What does the culture of your organization say?
• How do your people live your values every day?
• Is training required to ensure every single person understands how they should act in each situation?
• Is there a robust feedback and evaluation process in place to continually align, re-align, and stay on track?
• Are you, as the leader, present?
• Are you connected to your organization?

A company’s people are its most significant asset. And Schurke tells leaders that their legacy will live on through the culture they have developed for these people. He says:

“Legacy is about leaving behind an awesome team of individuals who are being the best they can be, continually growing, learning, and looking to the future.”

Institutionalizing Workplace Culture

How can leaders help their organizations remain vibrant in their wake? David J. Friedman’s response is by institutionalizing their company’s culture. He developed the CultureWise system to help leaders instill an enduring culture in their organizations. His methodology helps ensure that everyone operates in a way consistent with the leader’s vision.

“If we want to make sure that we don’t lose the essence of that vision as we grow, its key elements have to be articulated, written down, and taught with enough consistency that they become “institutionalized.” In other words, they become baked into the very DNA of the organization.”

He notes that his process helps to codify the leader’s legacy so it can be carried on long after they’ve moved on.

The key for leaders is not merely to plan for succession but to embed a phenomenal culture in their organization. Leaders with foresight will thoughtfully develop and model the culture they want to see, giving the company’s next generation of stewards the tools to preserve their legacy and move into a new era of success.