Mike and the Mechanics famously sang that ‘every generation blames the one before’ and based on a qualitative survey of two – so neither statistically significant or scientific – I am informed that ‘blaming the Boomers’ is a thing among young people.
There’s a wake-up call in this. With the many challenges our world faces what we do in the next minute, hour, day, etc. matters. It may have a profound impact on the future and future generations. Will it be for good, or not?
In organisations legacy thinking might be something we defer to that place we call ‘when I/we have more time.’ Can we afford that luxury (or lethargy)?
Worthwhile, world-changing, for the better, legacy calls for the deft combination of setting a higher purpose and infusing the actions that support it with intention focused on a greater good.
As individual leaders we can, with this ‘formula’, make a mark and attract others to the cause. And if we scale it up, embedding purpose fully into our organisational DNA we amplify, putting our organisation in service of all stakeholders.
When the time comes to reflect on what we left for the next generation, and the ones after, what do we want to see? Or, to put it more personally, what will your grandchildren be saying?