Your Leadership Presence and Impact
While being deliberate about your leadership presence, how will you pitch up on the conductor’s podium, the version of your authentic self that stands in leadership shoes? A leader needs to think about impact. We always have an impact on people and the world around us, whether we pay attention to it or not. Be deliberate about the leadership legacy you want to create. Ultimately, we are responsible for the impact we have.
The Stakes Increase With Seniority
The more senior the leader, the more people are impacted, and it is a core responsibility of leadership to get it right.
Mark or Legacy, What Endures?
A leader’s impact is what is remembered when the leader leaves the room. There are two types of impact. You can leave a mark or a legacy. A mark is a brief, small impact. A legacy is an impact that will outlive the leader.
There is a difference between making a mark and leaving a legacy. When you make a mark, it means that you may have done something great, but not necessarily something that is of everlasting significance. Legacy building is when the mark you created continues to grow and foster, where the people respect the legacy enough to sustain it. Legacy becomes an embedded part of the organization, its culture, brand, and history.
A Story of Leadership Legacy
The lasting impact that becomes a legacy is best explained with a story. I had the privilege to get to know a leader who was known throughout his career for being a gentleman and a scholar, and a strong, decisive leader with a very mild manner. Before I got to know him, I was curious about what made him so special. Why did he have a fanbase of hundreds that I know of, in an industry fraught with patronizing arrogance, inept leadership, and fear-based coercion?
I remember a conversation with colleagues lamenting the woes and misery of working under a different leader who was a very toxic sociopath. He also left a legacy for sure, a very dark and bitter one though. Many were reminiscing about a time when “Ted” was in charge. It was a time when the culture was pleasant, the organization was thriving, and it had a good reputation. It appeared that he touched the lives of many with a positive impact.
Practices That Build a Leadership Legacy
I met him after he retired at an extended friend’s and family do. In that conversation and many others, he would often answer a question with a story. Sometimes he was the hero in the story, and sometimes it was quite self-deprecating. From our friendship, I gleaned some insights into leaving a legacy impact, a very positive legacy impact:
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It is about how you interact with people that makes the difference. “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark.”
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Humility is a superpower. Humility is magnetic, it makes leaders approachable. Humility makes space for influence. In the absence of humility, a leader may have to resort to power. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” C. S. Lewis
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Lead with storytelling. Answering a question with a story allows the listener into your life and your authentic self, and it builds a connection. It also allows others to interpret the events through their own lens and apply the wisdom in their own context. In other words, stories empower the listener to grow.
Legacy Leaders Build Trust
Legacy leavers operate in ways that build trust and transform lives. They tend to be concerned with the greater good. (Forbes)
Great leaders leave legacies because they understand their impact on everyone in their circle of influence. It is an important part of their leadership practice to nurture relationships and accomplish a memorable outcome that will impact the organization and its ecosystem for a long time after they leave the role.
Reflective Questions for Your Leadership Legacy
- What do people experience when you walk into the room, and what do they remember when you leave?
- Which daily behaviours, if repeated by others, would you be proud to see as part of your leadership legacy?
- Where can humility and storytelling strengthen trust in your team and across your organization?
Coaching Support to Shape Your Leadership Legacy
If you want to be more deliberate about leadership impact and legacy, consider focused development. Executive coaching, leadership programmes, and team coaching can help you clarify the legacy you want to leave and practice the behaviours that embed it across your culture.
Sources
- https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/7-secrets-can-increase-your-leadership-impact
- https://www.comparethecloud.net/articles/what-is-impact-what-impact-are-you-having-as-a-leader-opening-lines/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/01/13/8-qualities-that-make-leaders-extraordinarily-memorable/?sh=4d0815dd7565
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/02/07/a-trusted-leader-leaves-a-legacy/?sh=4b118d4c296c
