What kind of leadership legacy will you leave?

“Legacy can seem far off and out of reach, but it doesn’t happen at journey’s end and it is not just for the rich and famous,” says Jann Freed, author of the newly released book “Breadcrumb Legacy: How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering.” “Legacy is now,” she says. In this book, Freed, a lifelong Iowa resident, shows leaders how to find and leave meaning on a daily basis. 

For many of us in leadership roles, life can be so busy it can be easy to simply put our heads down and work. We are tasked with thinking about the bottom line and challenges on the horizon, about our teams and our competition. But what is our larger purpose, both as leaders of organizations and as people? 

As I read “Breadcrumb Legacy,” I kept thinking about the funeral of a former boss I worked for in New York City. The event was standing room only for this beloved leader. Not only was he a wildly successful entrepreneur, he was a kind person who had provided opportunities for countless employees and their families. He was known for his many contributions to the community and for being a dedicated husband and father. Most of the people in the packed room considered him a friend. He had not waited to be a good person – throughout his life he had left behind a trail of “breadcrumbs,” a small stream of positive moments, gifts and impressions. He had left a true legacy.

Miriam Webster defines legacy as “a gift by will, especially of money or personal property” or “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” Although we think of legacy as something we leave behind at the end of life, we are actually leaving an impression that people remember every single day. Whether positive or negative, these little, everyday impressions and actions can make a difference large and small. 

Freed is uniquely qualified to explore a topic as weighty as legacy. In addition to being a business management professor emerita at Central College in Pella, where she held the Mark and Kay De Cook Endowed Chair in Leadership and Character Development, she is a sought-after leadership development coach, consultant, speaker and author of five books. Freed is also a recognized authority on the concept of Saging.

I asked Freed what inspired her to write this particular book right now. She explained that in her previous book, “Leading With Wisdom: Sage Advice From 100 Experts” (ATD, 2013), the chapter that seemed to resonate with readers was called “Leaders Live Their Legacy.” Freed decided to explore this concept, saying, “I decided to do a ‘deep dive’ into legacy work, which is a main component of becoming a sage.

Freed asserts that considering our lasting legacy can guide us today as we plan for what we will leave behind in the future. “Legacy thinking can be our ‘true north’ or ‘moral compass,’” she says, noting that when we think about the impact we are having on a daily basis, we likely will live our life differently.

“Breadcrumb Legacy” offers not only inspiring provocative concepts and compelling interviews with well-known national leaders, but also provides helpful exercises for the reader to consider his or her own daily actions and long-term legacy. This book is a must-read for any leader who wants to live a life of daily meaning.

There is no need to wait to design the legacy you will leave. As Freed says, “We really do live our legacy by what we leave behind every day in small ways.”