Building a Future Worth Remembering: A Legacy for All #4 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

Legacy worthy living centers on relationships and lasting influence through nurturing connections, clear visions, informed choices, and giving back. In today’s AI-driven world, taking control of our legacy is crucial. Drawing from the past, innovating now, and planning ahead sets the stage for a substantial for a rich and enduring legacy.

Total Words

1,352

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

1. Cultivate Meaningful Relationships
2. Be Legacy Worthy, Decide Wisely
3. The Future is Here, Plan for Legacy
4. Learn, Innovate, Contribute Generously

About Sherrie Rose:

Sherrie Rose, Chief Legacy Officer, crafts dynamic living legacies and succession plans for individuals and businesses. She innovates in legacy preservation and leadership development, and has authored multiple books. Sherrie pioneers future vision and enhavim-driven missions, integrating AI for digital legacy preservation. She volunteers at TEDxSanDiego and mentors the next generation at a transformative learning academy for the post-AI era.

Contacting Sherrie Rose:

You can connect with Sherrie on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Who’s Who or see her work on Sherrie Rose and Chief Legacy Officer.

By Sherrie Rose

Legacy is a concept that transcends time, bridging the past, present, and future. It is the contribution we leave for the world. It is our masterwork, our imprint of existence that continues to shape and inspire long after we are gone. As we navigate through life, make it a priority to consider what our legacy will be and how we can ensure it is meaningful and enduring. This year, the central theme is “Legacy,” and we will explore this profound idea from various perspectives.

THE REAL CURRENCY IS RELATIONSHIP RICHES

In the experience of creating a legacy, relationships stand as the most valuable currency. The connections we build with family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers, define the richness of our lives. These relationships are the investment in our legacy, as they carry forward our values, memories, and influences.

Building Strong Relationships
• Invest Time and Effort: Genuine relationships require time and effort. Make a conscious effort to nurture and maintain connections.
• Be Present: In a world filled with distractions, being present in the moment can strengthen bonds and foster deeper connections.
• Show Appreciation: Regularly express gratitude and appreciation for the people in your life. It reinforces the importance of your relationships.

“The Real Currency is Relationship Riches” is the motto of Sherrie Rose and she shares this with you to embrace.

PURPOSE AND MISSION ARE LED BY VISION

A legacy without vision is like a ship without a compass. Start with clear vision, an enhavim, of what we aim to achieve and the influence we wish to make. Purpose and mission provide direction and meaning to our vision and actions.

Crafting Your Vision
• Identify Core Values: Your values are the foundation of your vision. Reflect on what matters most to you and the difference you wish to make.
• Set Long-Term Plans: Define clear, long-term plans that align with your vision, purpose, and mission.
• Stay Adaptable: Life is unpredictable. Be flexible and willing to adjust your vision as circumstances change.

LIVE SMART. GIVE SMART. LEAVE YOUR MARK.

Living a legacy-worthy life involves making smart choices, both in our personal and professional lives. The Wisdom Model includes giving back to the community and leaving a positive mark on the world.

Smart Living and Giving
• Live Smart: Make informed decisions about your health, and personal development.
• Give Smart: Contribute to causes that align with your values and have a lasting impact. It includes finances for yourself and family as well as monetary donations and your time and skills.
• Leave Your Mark: Engage in activities and projects that reflect your passions and beliefs, ensuring they contribute to your legacy.

CHAMPION YESTERDAY. CREATE TODAY. TRANSFORM TOMORROW.

Legacy is not just about the future; it is also about honoring the past and taking decisive actions in the present. By championing the accomplishments of yesterday, we can create a better today and transform tomorrow. Become a ‘legacy futurist.’

Honoring the Past and Shaping the Future
• Learn from History: Study and appreciate the lessons from the past to avoid repeating mistakes and to build on successes.
• Innovate in the Present: Use creativity and innovation to address current challenges and opportunities.
• Plan for the Future: Set strategies in motion today that will have a lasting impact on the future.

VALUES WORTH SHARING

Your values form the cornerstone of your legacy. They guide your actions, decisions, and interactions with others. Sharing these values ensures that your legacy is built on a foundation of integrity and purpose.

Promoting Core Values
• Lead by Example: Demonstrate your values through your actions, showing others what you stand for.
• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your values in conversations, writings, and teachings.
• Encourage Others: Inspire others to adopt and uphold similar values in their own lives.

MASTERWORK: YOUR IMPRINT ACROSS TIME

Think of your legacy as a masterwork, a combination of experiences, interactions, creations, accomplishments, innovations, and insights that represents your life’s work and contributions. This masterwork is your imprint across time, influencing and inspiring future generations.

Creating Your Masterwork
• Pursue Excellence: Strive for excellence in all that you do, whether in your career, hobbies, or personal endeavors.
• Be Authentic: Your enduring legacy is a true reflection of who you are. Authenticity resonates and endures.
• Mentor Others: Share your knowledge and experience to help others create their own legacies.

BEYOND YOU. BECAUSE OF YOU.

A legacy extends beyond our individual existence. It is about creating a ripple effect that positively impacts others and continues to do so because of our actions and influence. You are central to your legacy.

Extending Your Impact
• Empower Others: Inspire and empower others to achieve their potential and create their own legacies.
• Create Sustainable Change: Focus on initiatives that promote long-term, sustainable change rather than short-term fixes.
• Leave a Positive Footprint: Be mindful of the environmental, social, and economic effects of your actions.

BE LEGACY WORTHY

To be legacy worthy is to live a life of purpose, integrity, and influence. It is about consistently striving to make a difference and leaving behind a world that is better for our having been here.

Living a Legacy-Worthy Life
• Embody Integrity: Uphold high ethical standards in all your actions.
• Show Compassion: Practice empathy and kindness, true relationship riches.
• Demonstrate Resilience: Overcome challenges with determination and grace.

LEGACY IS LONGEVITY

A true legacy endures. It is not fleeting or superficial but rather built on a foundation of meaningful contributions and lasting impact.

Ensuring Longevity
• Build a Solid Foundation: Ensure your legacy is rooted in solid principles and values.
• Adapt and Evolve: Be open to change and willing to adapt your approach as needed.
• Inspire Continuity: Encourage others to continue and build upon your masterwork.

DESIGN YOUR DECADE

Creating a legacy is a long-term endeavor. By designing your decade and crafting enhavim, you can set the stage for lasting influence and meaningful contributions over the next ten years.

Strategic Planning for a Decade
• Set Clear Milestones: Break down your long-term plans into manageable milestones.
• Review and Reflect: Regularly review your progress and make necessary adjustments.
• Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes along the way.

FINAL WORDS

Legacy is about more than just the mark we leave; it is about the lives we touch, the changes we inspire, and the long-term influence of our actions. Our stories, our words, are paramount, and with artificial intelligence and the large language models rewriting our words and possibly our legacies, it is up to us to take charge of our legacy. By focusing on relationships, purpose, smart living, and giving, honoring the past, creating in the present, and planning for the future, we can ensure our legacy is rich, meaningful, and lasting. As we navigate through life, let us strive to be legacy worthy, crafting a masterwork that extends beyond us and continues to inspire and transform for generations to come.

“Live Smart. Give Smart. Leave Your Mark.” #cong24 #legacy

Unlock your purpose to achieve your goals! #3 #cong22

Synopsis:

In today’s fast-moving world, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of everyday life and let your passions take a backseat. While it might be important to have a career you truly love and care about, it’s even more important to have a purpose. If you find that the things you do every day don’t necessarily align with who you are as a person and your passions, then it might be time to unlock your purpose and achieve your goals. To enjoy a fulfilled and happy life, I think everyone needs to understand our core values and beliefs about what is important in life. Unlocking your purpose is not just about finding out what makes you tick; it can also help you find fulfilment in the things that matter most to you. With some self-reflection, dedication, and practice, unlocking your purpose can be easier than ever before.

Total Words

1,154

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

  1. Start with Why
  2. Discover your values
  3. Look at your strength and skills
  4. Find out what you love to do most

About Stan McGowan

Branding and Digital Marketing expert who enjoys spending time with family & kids, doing music, photography, cooking, and swimming 😀

Contacting Stan McGowan

You can find out more about Stan on StanMcGowan

By Stan McGowan

In today’s fast-moving world, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of everyday life and let your passions take a backseat. While it might be important to have a career you truly love and care about, it’s even more important to have a purpose. If you find that the things you do every day don’t necessarily align with who you are as a person and your passions, then it might be time to unlock your purpose and achieve your goals. To enjoy a fulfilled and happy life, I think everyone needs to understand our core values and beliefs about what is important in life. Unlocking your purpose is not just about finding out what makes you tick; it can also help you find fulfilment in the things that matter most to you. With some self-reflection, dedication, and practice, unlocking your purpose can be easier than ever before.

What is Your Purpose?
Purpose is the reason why you exist. It is the reason why you get up in the morning and do what you do. It is the reason you exist. Finding your purpose is the holy grail of life; this is what psychologists, philosophers, and self-help gurus have talked about for decades. The more you learn to know about yourself, the easier and more fulfilling it will be for you to find your purpose.

Start with why.
Finding your reason for doing something can help you unlock your purpose. We naturally do what we enjoy and what we find meaningful, and when you understand why you are doing something particularly, you can put more energy and passion into it. This applies to any career or field of study. If you pursue a certain degree, you need to know why you are doing it. If you have a core desire and an overarching reason for making a particular career choice, it will help you focus on what is most important in your life. Doing what you love and what you are passionate about doesn’t just make you more productive, it also gives you a genuine sense of fulfilment. But don’t get caught up in pursuing the enjoyment of spending hours daily scrolling through social media timelines. Of course, if only it’s not what you do for a living as, for example, a social media marketer, which can also be considered as purpose, but those are rather rare occurrences.

Discover your values.
First, you need to discover your values, which are the guiding principles that you live by and are the things that are most important to you. They can be anything from having a fulfilling family life to making a difference in the world by engaging in community work or helping others. You might have certain beliefs about religion or social justice, and these can also be considered values. Understanding your core values can help you figure out what your purpose is, and having core values and a purpose in life can be an enormous source of motivation. When you know your values, making decisions that align with your personal beliefs will be easier. For example, if you know that having a healthy work-life balance is a core value, then accepting a promotion might be easier. If you have no clue what your values are, then you will have to spend time figuring them out. This could be a long and involved process, so make sure you are committed to the task. But the majority of people I know or spoke with agree that the Covid pandemic has made them rethink their values and what’s important in their lives today.

Look at your strengths and skills.
If you know your core values, you can start to look at your life and see what areas fit with these values. You can also try a strengths-based approach to help you identify your top strengths. For example, what are the things that make you feel most productive and engaged? Knowing your strengths and skills can also give you ideas about how to use them to pursue your purpose in life. For example, if you consider yourself a good public speaker, you might want to get involved in advocacy work. If you have a mathematical/analytical mindset, you might want to use those skills to pursue a career in data science.

Find out what you love to do.
This can be the same as finding out what you are good at. It can also be helpful to try different things and see what really excites you. Doing something you truly love and are passionate about can help unlock your purpose. This can also be related to your core values. For example, if you have a core value of helping others, then you can use that to narrow down what you love to do. You might love working with children or helping the elderly. You might love writing or programming. You might love playing music or singing. Use your values as a filter, and you will naturally be drawn to the things that you love to do.

Finally, finding your purpose isn’t an easy task. It may take a lot of self-reflection and soul-searching. It might even be a lifelong journey where you make new discoveries about yourself over time. However, it’s important to make unlocking your purpose a priority. It can help you have a more fulfilled and happy life. It can also help you achieve your goals and lead a more meaningful life. With some self-reflection, dedication, and practice, you can unlock your purpose and achieve your goals faster than ever before.

Leader, Know Thyself #43 #cong21

Dennis Deery

Synopsis:

Leadership begins with an internal certainty about who you are. Considering your personal leadership philosophy is key to leading well, especially in difficult times.

Total Words

994

Reading Time in Minutes

4

Key Takeaways:

  1. Know yourself.
  2. Spend time thinking about leadership principles and strategy, not just tactics.
  3. Build resilience.
  4. Followership is as important as leadership.

About Dennis Deery

I work as a change management consultant with businesses, nonprofit organizations and communities throughout the US and internationally. Despite having attained a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in 2018, I am amazed every day at how much I still have to learn about leadership.

Contacting Dennis Deery

You can connect with Dennis on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  You can also see his work on DennisDeery and IrishRose websites or send him an email.

By Dennis Deery

We all have opportunities to be leaders – sometimes we choose them, sometimes they choose us. To properly prepare for those times, I think it’s important to spend time considering what your own personal leadership philosophy is. Herewith, my personal leadership philosophy.

I believe we all are called to be leaders at many times in our lives. I will work to recognize the situations in my life when I am called to be a leader. Through knowing myself and my abilities better, I will seek out opportunities to have a positive impact on the people, places and communities around me. I will seek out and nurture relationships that will buttress me with the strength to serve when the call is difficult.

I will strive to be open and knowable to all who wish to have a relationship with me. True effective leadership requires a relationship of caring, trust and faith between leader and followers, along with the knowledge that the leader of today is the follower of tomorrow. I will work to balance my introvert tendencies with the goal of finding a larger circle of friends who will enrich my life. I will do better at boisterously celebrating the accomplishments of people around me, while continuing to demonstrate to them the quiet joy I believe we can all find in solitude. I will trust first, even when it feels easier to not do so.

I will continue my passion to be a lifelong learner driven by intense curiosity about the world. I know that the world we face tomorrow will be different than today, with new challenges and opportunities. Only through a constant willingness to learn and adapt can I participate in creating that new world. I will seek out formal educational opportunities, but I will also intentionally reflect to find the lessons, big and small, in everyday life. I will continue to voraciously consume books, but I will work for greater balance by seeking out friends and teachers who can boost the human dimension of my learning. I will ask for and remain open to the guidance of my peers, knowing that at times they can see me more clearly than I can see myself.

I will be resilient. When faced with adversity and failure, I will strive to remember the many incredible experiences that have created the person I am today. I will embrace the lessons to be learned and move on to new adventures. I will remember the difficulties as events that provided those lessons, but I will not relive them in ways that damage my future. When pushed by circumstance I will bend and change, but not beyond the core that makes me who I am.

I will innovate. Driven by Einstein’s admonition that “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them,” I will work to always understand all sides of an issue in pursuit of the way forward. I will remember that all members of a community bring a unique perspective to the table, and those perspectives must be integrated to fully understand issues and implement change.

I will have fun. No matter the situation, I will remember the bigger picture, the better world we are all striving for, and I will bring that thought to the task at hand. I will not lead from above or ahead, but from beside. I will make sure that while the work is shared equally, we will also share the joy equally. I will work to bolster the inner spirit of the people around me, to be there as a sounding board and support whenever needed.

I will strive for wholeness in all I do. From work to personal relationships to volunteer activities, I will be the same person, driven by the same values. I will not sacrifice one realm of my existence with the false hope that other realms will make up for it. I will bring all of who I am to any endeavor in which I am involved, and I will spend time on activities which feed all aspects of my being. I will always find time for reflection to ensure that I am centered and balanced.

I have a vision for the world in which I want to live, and I will spend the rest of my life learning the skills, building the relationships and taking the actions that are needed make that vision reality. I look at the world today and I see the ways in which it is better because of the work of those who came before us. From their example, I know that we all have that ability, that duty. I will always encourage people, to help them remember that they can change the world. I will surround myself with people who will remind me, when I forget, that I can change the world. I will share my vision with those around me, through the written and spoken word and in all my actions.

On each day of my journey I will be content, but I will never be complacent.

Is one? In one? Or Both? #25 #cong19

Synopsis:

The emphasis on community invariably leans towards the town or village in which people live or the club to which they belong. There are acres of literature on the benefits of successful communities in these areas
But what about creating a community within a business to realise some of those benefits?
This paper explores some of the benefits and difficulties of doing so

4 Key Takeaways:

  1. Creating a real community within a business takes time.
  2. It challenges everyone – especially managers
  3. It can be risky but the benefits are substantial

About Paul Passemard:

I am an engineer by background and worked in the oil industry for 25 years before setting up a management consultancy that worked across the private sector, central UK government and local authorities

Contacting Paul Passemard:

You can contact Paul by email

By Paul Passemard

If you Google ‘businesses, communities’ and include whatever other qualifying words you care to insert, the search engine reveals an interesting and very one-sided set of websites and commentaries.

One result of the search shows a significant emphasis on exhorting businesses in the community to display social responsibility, to become involved with the community, to make charitable donations, to provide local jobs, to buy locally and how it is good for the business if employees volunteer to do work in the community.

With the same Google search there is significant other content in the same vein – covering how to build effective and vibrant communities in your local town or village. Some of these searches describe a number of the characteristics displayed by successful communities

  • Shared vision
  • Common values
  • Maximising individuals’ strengths
  • Balancing the needs of the leadership group
  • Working as a team
  • Mobilising others
  • Pitching in – participating
  • Taking responsibility – being accountable to the community
  • Looking ahead
  • Recruiting and mentoring new leaders
  • Walking beside and not leading from above

Does this sound familiar? The words may not be in strict management speak but doesn’t it sound almost exactly like the characteristics you would want to see in your business? The way you would want you and your employees to behave and work?

So, the question is – is your business a community and if not why not? Is your business missing out on the most beneficial aspects of community by not being one?

Let’s re-introduce some more familiar management language and examine some of these characteristics in more detail.

Shared vision.

Perhaps the single most important element in a real business community is a commitment by its members to a shared vision of the future. There must be a consensus on the answer to the question, what does the community (business) want to be when it grows up?

The failure to reach agreement on the group’s mission has led to the demise of many a would-be community. If management’s vision of the future is grounded entirely on profits, stock options, executive bonuses, and special privileges, then community is impossible to achieve with a group of employees in search of job security, higher wages, and increased fringe benefits.

Common values.

Shared common values are another important characteristic of a business community. In workplace communities’ employees and managers alike view themselves as parts of an integrated whole pursuing, a common mission which is consistent with their own personal values. If there is nothing more to the business or the organisation than each individual looking out only for his or her self-interest, then community will never be.

Cooperation, trust, and human empathy are among some of the shared values, which are vital to the formation and survival of communities.

Boundaries.

In every community there is an ongoing tension between the group’s need for exclusivity on the one hand and the desire for inclusiveness on the other hand. To manage this, it is important for the community to have boundaries. A workplace without boundaries will not remain a community very long.

Associated with participation in a business community or team should be responsibility, sharing and well-defined performance expectations. Teams working within a community also require limits and boundaries.

Empowerment.

Perhaps the most troublesome and difficult attribute of a workplace community is empowerment — the creation of a system of governance and a community decision-making process, which empowers all community members;

Unfortunately, many corporate managers are into having — owning, manipulating, and controlling money, power, people, and things. They need to be in control, and often display behavioural patterns, which are aggressive, competitive, and antagonistic. Those in the having mode are afraid of losing what they have to someone else.

Power sharing may be very threatening to corporate managers. For an organisation to have the possibility of becoming a true community, its leaders must be prepared to risk some loss of control. This is a higher price than most corporate executives are prepared to pay. This also gets to the crux of why there are very few real workplace communities.

Some company senior executives naively believe that community can be mandated.  Community cannot be ordered from above. Top-down community-building initiatives are perceived by employees as deceptive attempts by management to manipulate them.

Education. Recruiting and Mentoring New Leaders

Despite the many virtues of community, life in a workplace community is not without its issues There is often a low tolerance for nonconformity and opinions, which differ from the community norm. Invasion of privacy and nosiness are not uncommon. Rarely are envy, greed, and competitiveness absent from such workplace groups.

For all of these reasons, it is important for the community to have an effective education and training programme to teach members community values, decision-making, governance, responsibility, growth and development, power sharing, and tension reduction.

Is it worth it?

From all of the above it is clear that there are no shortcuts to community in the workplace. We may say we want community, but do we want to risk the time and energy that community requires? Are we prepared to pay the price in terms of loss of our cherished individualism necessary to sustain community?

Under the most ideal circumstances, community building in the workplace is a slow and tedious process. The risk of failure is substantial. But the possible benefits include improved morale, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and more meaningful lives for all concerned.