
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone but the things you do for others remain as your legacy”.
This quote from Kalu Ndukme Kalu frames why I believe Legacy is the most important Leadership Essential.
There is so much that is not exclusively within our control as leaders - share price, supply chain, how we are perceived by the wider stakeholder group. We can certainly use best endeavours to influence these areas but external factors can undermine efforts and compromise results.
There is however one area that I believe is exclusively within our control, and that is the legacy we leave upon our staff - how we imprint ourselves upon them.
There are many interpretations of legacy in terms of material wealth, business value etc. Whilst they have a place, the most important legacy for a leader in my opinion is how you are remembered by your people on account of how you made them feel!
Our focus has to be on making people feel valued. In this regard we are measured by our staff on the quality of our actions and I believe there are four key areas we must focus on:
Ensure everyone has a voice - We must create the culture where staff have psychological safety, they feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions without fear of ridicule or confrontation.
A culture where it is clear that nobody has the monopoly on ideas. Irrespective whether you are the long serving veteran or the new hire, the environment has to enable you to contribute.
Actively listen - Taking the time to truly listen to your team as a group and as individuals builds very powerful bonds. Impactful leaders recognise that communication cannot be solely top down.
Give autonomy - We need to provide our people with the autonomy to be able to put their ideas into action without being micromanaged by their leader.
Be comfortable with mistakes - In facilitating the above, mistakes will happen. A leader can react with anger or criticism or conversely can recognise the power of mistakes as a learning process ensuring they support the individual to grow from the experience.
Know your people - Active listening plays a key role here. It is important to know your staff as people and not just as employees. I had three core philosophies that served me in this area:
Firstly ‘Family First.’ If staff had any issues within their family I would grant the leave to deal with it. Morally that was the right thing to do but also from a performance perspective it made sense. Who can truly concentrate on their role when they have worries about family?
Give the birthday as a holiday. Who truly wants to be at work on their birthday? I granted that to my staff as an additional day of holiday to spend with family or friends.
The personal note - Sending personalised handwritten notes to celebrate achievements and key
milestones always had real impact. Staff could see you were aware of their efforts and contribution and crucially that you appreciate them.
When you are navigating your ‘To Do’ list, keep your people at the top. Their growth and development is your biggest legacy.
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