July 20, 2012

We recently attended a retirement party for a friend. While there, we enjoyed the roasting and toasting that goes along with the closure of a career. One of the strong themes that reverberated around the room had to do with the legacy the retiree was leaving behind. At the conclusion of the evening, a couple of the fresh-faced-new-to-the-field employees approached the retiree all remarking about this 'legacy'.

"I want to leave a legacy like you," was one young employee's comment. Another directly asked, "What steps do I take in my career now, that would allow me to leave the type of legacy you are leaving?"

What brilliant professionals these young people are. They are astute enough to already be thinking about what they need to do in their day-to-day work to leave their legacy.

So how would you answer them? How are you ensuring that you are leaving a positive legacy?