From Purpose to Legacy – Built to Really Last #26 #cong24 #legacy

Reading Time in Minutes

4

1. Legacy is about the lasting impact of our actions, culture, and values, long after we’ve moved on.
2. Every team member plays a role in shaping the legacy of Creme Global.
3. Sharing knowledge and fostering a shared vision, mission, and culture is crucial.
4. Financial success in Creme Global is a measure of the value we create, but it is just as important to know that what we build today will continue to impact the future.

Cronan McNamara is the founder and CEO of Creme Global, a science and tech company born out of research at Trinity College Dublin. Creme Global is at the forefront of computing for health and risk analysis. The team has built a powerful cloud-based data science platform and published over 85 peer-reviewed papers in international scientific journals.

You can connect with Cronan on X, LinkedIn or see his work in Creme Global.

By Cronan McNamara

One of my favourite business books is Built to Last by Collins and Porras. In #Cong2021, we talked about Leadership, and I wrote about the lessons from the front lines of business in Creme Global.

In #Cong2022, we took that a step further by exploring the concept of Purpose—why we do what we do and how that drives us forward. Now, Eoin encourages us to continue our journey into Legacy for #Cong24; it’s clear that Leadership and Purpose are essential chapters in the story. Perhaps the most fascinating chapter is Legacy.

Legacy is what remains when we’re no longer in the room. It’s the mark we leave on organizations, people, and the world. And importantly, it’s something that each of us at Creme Global is working to create every day.

What Story Will We Write Together?

When we speak as a team at Creme Global, I talk about the Vision, Mission, and Culture — recently, I asked the team to think about their story and the company’s Legacy. What story do we want to write for Creme Global? The idea went down well. I want everyone to feel part of that story, to feel proud of the work they’re doing and the impact it’s having. This isn’t just my story; it’s our story. Each one of us is shaping the legacy of the organisation.

In #Cong2021, I wrote about vision, mission, and values—it was really all about culture. At Creme Global, we understand the importance of culture and how it’s demonstrated in everything we do. Now, we think beyond culture to Legacy, which makes a difference in our thinking. It’s not just about the work we do today; it’s about how that work will endure, evolve, and impact others in the future.

Pride in Our Work

We want our work at Creme Global to be about more than just hitting targets or solving problems—it’s about making a lasting impact, whether we’re helping clients make better decisions through data or developing new ways to apply science in a complex world.

We need to understand that what we’re doing today is creating the foundation for something bigger. We are leaving behind a legacy, one that will continue to shape the industry, the people around us, and the future of this organization. It’s not just the leaders who create this legacy—it’s every team member, every decision, every contribution.

Why Legacy Matters

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges, but we must remember that our work can have a lasting effect. Knowledge and skills can be at risk of disappearing when someone moves on. When we share knowledge, mentor others, and create systems that can grow without us, we are building something that lasts beyond any one of our tenures.

Epigenetics and the Ripple Effect

The field of epigenetics is fascinating—the idea that traits and behaviors can be passed down through generations at a biological level. It is hard to validate this concept, but I believe it certainly applies to organizations. The knowledge, values, and culture we’re fostering at Creme Global will be passed on through our actions, decisions, and culture. Our legacy will live on through more than what we do; it will also live on through how we do it.

A Legacy We Can All Be Proud Of

Financial success is an important way of keeping score—it measures the value we create and secures the company’s future. But the real win comes when we see that we’ve built something lasting—something we can be proud of.

When we encounter challenges and roadblocks in our day-to-day work, we understand these are worthy challenges. Knowing that the work we’re doing today will continue to have an impact long into the future motivates us to overcome these. That’s the legacy we’re creating together. We know that our work matters. The company is shaping the future of and influencing the next generation of scientists and innovators. It is Built to Really Last.