By Dr. John C. Maxwell
A LEGACY OF FREEDOM
President Abraham Lincoln’sleadership through the painful trial of Civil War saved the UnitedStates of America and ended the deplorable institution of slavery. Inthe war’s aftermath, Lincoln faced the challenge of rebuilding theSouth without restoring its system of white supremacy. Balancinggoodwill toward freed blacks and a conciliatory stance toward theformer Confederate states, Lincoln appeared to have the perfecttemperament to ease the South through a time of healing and into aperiod of prosperity and equality.
Abraham Lincoln’s assassinationplunged the fragile future of the South into uncertainty. Hissuccessor, President Andrew Johnson, continued policies of conciliationtoward the Southern states, but he did not share Lincoln’s regard forblack Americans. By pardoning key leaders of the Confederacy andplacing power back in the hands of state legislators in the South,Andrew Johnson reconstructed the South’s oppressive system of whitedomination. Johnson’s personal racism and inept leadership wasresponsible for stunting the progress of the civil rights movement andperpetuating injustice in the South for another 100 years.
Abraham Lincoln’s tragic deathfollowed by Andrew Johnson’s deficiencies in rebuilding the South is atestament to the Law of Legacy:
“A Leader’s Lasting Value is Measured by Succession.”
Who knows how far or how quicklythe USA may have progressed toward racial equality had Lincoln beenable to pass the reins of the government to a like-minded leader?
LEAVING A LEGACY
A turning point in my leadershipcame when I began to understand the meaning of leaving a legacy. Acatalyst for me was a simple statement from management expert, PeterDrucker:
“There is no success without a successor.”
I had always wanted to createlasting value through my life and leadership, so I decided to takeseriously the cultivation of successors. I resolved to produce leadersrather than attract followers, and it’s one of the best decisions I’vemade in my leadership. In this lesson, I’d like to explore four aspectsof shaping a legitimate leadership legacy:
1. Character
2. Choices
3. Conduct
4. Consequences
Character – Being and becoming a moral example
The two words most commonlylinked to character are integrity and honesty. Integrity involves beingtrue to oneself, while honesty means being truthful with others. Eachinvolves being real not fake, genuine not artificial, transparent notdeceitful.
You can’t spell integritywithout the word grit which is defined as “a firmness of mind,” or“unyielding courage.” It takes a great deal of courage or grit to betrue to self. In the end, though, it’s worth the effort because ourlegacies are going to be impacted greatly by our integrity or lackthereof.
Choices – Thinking clearly and making wise decisions
Careful decision-making requiresa sense of right and wrong rooted in character. To make the rightdecisions consistently, we can’t let external influence or peerpressure cause us to do something wrong when our internal conscience istelling us to do what is right. To violate conscience undermines ourself-respect and shatters not only our moral authority, but ourconfidence as leaders.
We must also understand howpleasure and pain impact our choices. In short, if we enjoy temporarypleasure with a disregard for its harmful effects on us and otherpeople, we’re going to suffer long-term pain. Leadership demandssacrifices for the near-term to receive lasting benefits. The longer wewait to make sacrifices, the harder they become. Successful people makeimportant decisions early in their life, then manage those decisionsthe rest of their lives.
Conduct – Doing the right things consistently well
Conduct is defined as “a mode ofpersonal behavior.” Only individuals can behave. The conduct of acompany, government agency, sports team, or church is a reflection ofthe conduct of the individuals making up the organization.
To shape the conduct of theindividuals who follow us, we must be able to hold them accountable fortheir behavior. But first, we must be held accountable ourselves.Author Chuck Swindoll says accountability is “a willingness to explainyour actions.” If our actions are indefensible, we’ll be stripped ofthe real authority to exercise moral leadership. We must submit ourbehavior to the scrutiny of trusted advisors before dictating theconduct of those we lead.
As leaders, we set the tone forthe conduct of the individuals in our organization. People do whatpeople see. Conduct is learned through observation. As Dr. MichaelGuido says, “The world pays more attention to your conduct than it doesto your creed.” As leaders, we teach what we know, but we reproduce whowe are.
Consequences – Receiving the results of seeds that we sow
The success of my day is basedon the seeds that I sow, not the harvest I reap. Too often, leadersbypass the process of sowing seeds in favor of shortcuts for results.Sadly, the end begins to justify the means, and principles are tossedout for more expedient behavior.
I’ve found submitting to theprocess of sowing the right seeds will meet with tremendousrewards—whether I see the fruits firsthand or not. Here are fivereasons I believe in keeping my attention on sowing well rather thanseeing 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 tofocus 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 whichwill return to haunt you. Remember: the secret of your success isdetermined by your daily agenda.