03 Jan 2007, Posted by Lance in Leadership, 1 Comment.

Leaving a Legitimate Leadership Legacy

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

A LEGACY OF FREEDOM

President Abraham Lincoln’s
leadership through the painful trial of Civil War saved the United
States of America and ended the deplorable institution of slavery. In
the war’s aftermath, Lincoln faced the challenge of rebuilding the
South without restoring its system of white supremacy. Balancing
goodwill toward freed blacks and a conciliatory stance toward the
former Confederate states, Lincoln appeared to have the perfect
temperament to ease the South through a time of healing and into a
period of prosperity and equality.

Abraham Lincoln’s assassination
plunged the fragile future of the South into uncertainty. His
successor, President Andrew Johnson, continued policies of conciliation
toward the Southern states, but he did not share Lincoln’s regard for
black Americans. By pardoning key leaders of the Confederacy and
placing power back in the hands of state legislators in the South,
Andrew Johnson reconstructed the South’s oppressive system of white
domination. Johnson’s personal racism and inept leadership was
responsible for stunting the progress of the civil rights movement and
perpetuating injustice in the South for another 100 years.

Abraham Lincoln’s tragic death
followed by Andrew Johnson’s deficiencies in rebuilding the South is a
testament to the Law of Legacy:

“A Leader’s Lasting Value is Measured by Succession.”

Who knows how far or how quickly
the USA may have progressed toward racial equality had Lincoln been
able to pass the reins of the government to a like-minded leader?

LEAVING A LEGACY

A turning point in my leadership
came when I began to understand the meaning of leaving a legacy. A
catalyst for me was a simple statement from management expert, Peter
Drucker:
“There is no success without a successor.”

I had always wanted to create
lasting value through my life and leadership, so I decided to take
seriously the cultivation of successors. I resolved to produce leaders
rather than attract followers, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve
made in my leadership. In this lesson, I’d like to explore four aspects
of shaping a legitimate leadership legacy:

1. Character
2. Choices
3. Conduct
4. Consequences

Character – Being and becoming a moral example

The two words most commonly
linked to character are integrity and honesty. Integrity involves being
true to oneself, while honesty means being truthful with others. Each
involves being real not fake, genuine not artificial, transparent not
deceitful.

You can’t spell integrity
without the word grit which is defined as “a firmness of mind,” or
“unyielding courage.” It takes a great deal of courage or grit to be
true to self. In the end, though, it’s worth the effort because our
legacies are going to be impacted greatly by our integrity or lack
thereof.

Choices – Thinking clearly and making wise decisions

Careful decision-making requires
a sense of right and wrong rooted in character. To make the right
decisions consistently, we can’t let external influence or peer
pressure cause us to do something wrong when our internal conscience is
telling us to do what is right. To violate conscience undermines our
self-respect and shatters not only our moral authority, but our
confidence as leaders.

We must also understand how
pleasure and pain impact our choices. In short, if we enjoy temporary
pleasure with a disregard for its harmful effects on us and other
people, we’re going to suffer long-term pain. Leadership demands
sacrifices for the near-term to receive lasting benefits. The longer we
wait to make sacrifices, the harder they become. Successful people make
important decisions early in their life, then manage those decisions
the rest of their lives.

Conduct – Doing the right things consistently well

Conduct is defined as “a mode of
personal behavior.” Only individuals can behave. The conduct of a
company, government agency, sports team, or church is a reflection of
the conduct of the individuals making up the organization.

To shape the conduct of the
individuals who follow us, we must be able to hold them accountable for
their behavior. But first, we must be held accountable ourselves.
Author Chuck Swindoll says accountability is “a willingness to explain
your actions.” If our actions are indefensible, we’ll be stripped of
the real authority to exercise moral leadership. We must submit our
behavior to the scrutiny of trusted advisors before dictating the
conduct of those we lead.

As leaders, we set the tone for
the conduct of the individuals in our organization. People do what
people see. Conduct is learned through observation. As Dr. Michael
Guido says, “The world pays more attention to your conduct than it does
to your creed.” As leaders, we teach what we know, but we reproduce who
we are.

Consequences – Receiving the results of seeds that we sow

The success of my day is based
on the seeds that I sow, not the harvest I reap. Too often, leaders
bypass the process of sowing seeds in favor of shortcuts for results.
Sadly, the end begins to justify the means, and principles are tossed
out for more expedient behavior.

I’ve found submitting to the
process of sowing the right seeds will meet with tremendous
rewards—whether I see the fruits firsthand or not. Here are five
reasons I believe in keeping my attention on sowing well rather than
seeing instant results:

(1) The seeds I sow will determine the harvest I reap.
(2) There is no reaping unless I have been sowing.
(3) Sowers are committed to giving before receiving.
(4) Sowers enjoy giving more than receiving.
(5) Sowing daily into the lives of others will compound over time.

We spend our day either preparing or repairing. Preparing allows us to
focus on today, while repairing forces us to clean up yesterday.
Preparing invests for the future, repairing pays down past debts.
Preparing increases efficiency, but repairing consumes precious time.
Preparing increases confidence, while repairing breeds discouragement.
Cherish each day to grow and develop, and avoid making mistakes which
will return to haunt you. Remember: the secret of your success is
determined by your daily agenda.