BREADCRUMB LEGACY: THE EVERYDAY IMPACT OF OUR ACTIONS, DECISIONS, AND BEHAVIORS

Abstract

The author, professor merita at Central College, writes about her concept of breadcrumb legacy, including that our legacy is formed by our day-to-day actions over a long time period. She notes that in her interviews, “along with my own research and experiences working with leaders, drove home that legacy, much like leadership, is all about conscious impact, and living how you'd like to be remembered. But not in the way that you might think.” She draws on various examples, such as Robert Glazer, founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners; Sounds True founder Tami Simon; leadership adviser/authors Jim Collins, Stephen R. Covey, and Sally Helgesen; developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, psychotherapist David Richo; and authors Studs Terkel and Rob Salafia. Freed writes that a “leader’s legacy also includes how well the leader builds capacity for the organization to thrive after the leader has left. While some may call this succession planning, it is the mindset of any good steward and servant leader.” She concludes that “since leadership is a relationship, not a position or title, thinking about how we want to be remembered can positively impact all of our relationships. Call them strong skills, brave skills, or leadership superpowers–breadcrumbs.”