What Does “Legacy” Mean for You?
I dedicate this first post to a late mentor, Will McWhinney, a former faculty member at Fielding (where I got my doctorate). While not always the easiest of people with whom to work, he was a great, creative thinker and a passionate, heartfelt man. While most noted for his work in organizational change and systems, his legacy also included supporting the cause of health care in Tanzania. I don’t know the whole story of how that connection was made for Will; however, I do know one way in which the donation I made to the project after his death touched me.
While many of us in coaching have varied degrees of aspiration about the scale of our impact—and see success at this level as one marker of our legacy—perhaps it is just as much about finding those small ways in which we can weave a few nurturing threads into the tapestry of Life. You don’t have to wait until you are rich, famous and/or dead to have a legacy. Each of us has a role to play as a weaver. What colors do you bring today?
This post kicks off a project to help coaches around the world tell the story of their legacy and how they are living it now as a steward of the future. We will bring you musings, storytelling resources and video opportunities as the conversation unfolds. To get us started, what does the word “legacy” mean for you as you think about your work with coaching?
David
Thanks to Jerry Snow for photo of Will McWhinney.
Popularity: 34% [?]
Comment by Chris Barrow on 25 February 2008:
David I was interested to read your post this morning as I have just returned froma trip to Mwanza in North West Tanzania, where I have been offering pro-bono coaching to http://www.bridge2aid.org - a registered charity that has been established to train dental auxiliaries working in the bush (there is 1 dentist for every 300,000 people in Tanzania) and to support a community of leprosy sufferers in Bukumbi.
I have established a successful practice working with UK dentists over the last 11 years and met with the folk at Bridge2Aid during a UK dental conference a couple of years ago.
Whilst discussing their well-established volunteer programme for UK dental team members who want to offer voluntary service overseas, it occured that a business coach would have just as much to offer, as the charity has to function well as a business - and is part-funded by the profits of the accompanying dental clinic (Hope Dental Centre) which provides for-profit dentistry to support the expatriate community in the area.
My trip this month was for 9 days, working with the management team on strategy and vision, and is the first of what will be visits every 6 months to support their activities - I intend for this to be a long-term relationship.
This was my first trip to Africa and, although I have travelled in the developing world, nothing prepared me for the humility, friendship and poverty I witnessed.
You ask for thoughts on “legacy”?
I believe that the skills we develop as coaches are instantly transferable into the charitable environment.
I have rarely been as nervous as the day I facilitated a team training session to the staff at the dental clinic - people from a completely alien culture - and yet we found that laughter was the common language that made the day a success.
Coaches can offer an insight into how people work together that is recognisable in any culture.
Comment by David Drake on 25 February 2008:
Chris,
Thanks for sharing your story. One of the elements of legacy that I gleaned from your experience was the what happens at the confluence of an offering and an opportunity, as it did for you at the dental conference. Rather than waiting for the big break or the grand invitation, so much of legacy-living seems to me to be about noticing the seams of the proverbial fabric where we can partner with others to make new things happen. Good on you, as my Aussie colleagues would say, for being willing to be nervous again — in reaching out to and with others.
Comment by Vikki Brock on 26 February 2008:
David,
Many times people talk about a legacy as something that we leave when we die. Legacy to me is something that we live as we go about our day-to-day life. In fact, my email signature contains a quote (from me) that sums up my thoughts about legacy.
“A living legacy has no age”
Comment by Carrie Jacobs on 26 February 2008:
As a coach specializing in retirement coaching, I love this conversation. Vikki, love your signature of legacy has no age, I commend you all! It is refreshing to hear a conversation of how your life is your message or in this case, your life is your legacy. We are all living our legacy with every breath we take!
my quote is…
“What do you want to do with your one wild and precious life?”
~Mary Oliver
Comment by Linda Ballew on 28 February 2008:
Carrie, I love that quote! And I am so interested in your niche of the coaching field. I am quickly realizing that retirement age is straight ahead, and I don’t want to waste a moment of life. Tell me more about squeezing the grace and joy out of retirement!
Comment by Carrie Jacobs on 29 February 2008:
Linda, my passion is to support people just like with an eye on retirement, and people who’s lives are going through major changes, sometimes by choice and other times by chance!
I help successful people just like you to strategize how to move through the transition not just with their sanity, but to see the transition as a blessing or a gift and to ultimately find harmony between all areas of their life.
I offer workshops, teleseminars and various tools for finding your authentic truth and life purpose. Lots of folks go through life waiting for that magical day when they can finally live their joy!
The future is today! Start planning and writing your own script and living with joy, passion and purpose right now!
Comment by Elizabeth Crouch on 17 March 2008:
Huge thanks to each of you for weighing in on this delicious dialogue! I fully believe in legacy living and design for people at all ages and stages.
What might be points of entry into legacy conversation with teens and young adults? What is relevant to them beyond the conventional wisdom of education, graduation speeches about the future, achieving buying power, working for a living?