Leaving a Lasting Legacy Means Everything
Written by Jack Riewoldt
At Authentic Leaders Group we focus a lot on lasting legacy—empowering your leaders to set the tone and become guardians of the big picture. But leadership isn’t just about holding a position. Leadership is about leaving a lasting legacy.
A true leader sets the tone for the team and becomes a guardian of the big picture. A true leader doesn’t just focus on their immediate responsibilities; they strive to improve, evolve, and uplift the environment they operate in. At the end of the day, it’s the legacy a leader or an employee leaves that ensures the business and its people keep thriving long after they’ve gone.
Leaving the jumper in a better place
Richie McCaw, the legendary captain of the New Zealand All Blacks, talks about “leaving the jumper in a better place.”
What does he mean? He means that your role existed before you and it will continue to exist after you. Your responsibility is to enhance it, to contribute to it and to innovate it so that those who come after you inherit something better than what you did.
The same thing applies to the workplace. Being a custodian of your role means thinking beyond your immediate needs and making sure you’re fostering a culture and environment that helps future employees. It’s about making your role, your team, and your company stronger than they were before.
Why should we want to evolve our roles?
Far too often, employees step into a role and simply roll with things as they were. They follow standard procedures, accept the way things have always been done, and move through the motions. But we can do more.
Instead of just maintaining, great employees challenge, improve and redefine. Think of your position as a living thing—one that can be refined and expanded upon. Ask yourself: What can I contribute that wasn’t here before? How can I make my role more impactful? What changes can I make that will benefit my team and company?
When the time eventually comes to transition out of your role—whether for a promotion, career shift or retirement—the person who steps into it should find a position that has been enhanced. This applies not only to job responsibilities but also to workplace culture. By nurturing strong relationships, fostering collaboration and setting high standards, you create an environment that continues to thrive long after you’ve moved on.
This is the essence of legacy.
Why should we strive to build a legacy?
Curiosity and potential
When you actively seek to evolve your role, you push boundaries and explore what’s possible. You don’t know how far you can go until you try. Continuously challenging yourself unlocks new skills, opportunities and insights.
Setting a standard
Striving to leave a legacy fosters excellence. By elevating your role and showing dedication, you will inspire those around you. Others look up to you as a model of what’s possible, and this in turn strengthens the whole organisation.
Serving the future
In his book, Legacy, James Kerr says “the most selfless act is to plant trees under whose shade you will never sit.” This is what true legacy is all about. It’s about making contributions that may not benefit you directly, but will serve future generations of leaders, employees, and stakeholders.
Moving forward
If you want to leave a lasting impact, start by reframing how you see your position. You’re not just an employee, you are a custodian of your role. You have the opportunity and the responsibility to enhance it, nurture it and better it for the next person.
At Authentic Leaders Group, we believe in helping teams build meaningful, lasting legacies. Our multi-day experiences are designed to strengthen teams, foster deep connections, and equip leaders with the skills and mindset to leave their roles, their companies, and their people better than they found them.
What will your legacy be?