The Law of Legacy

John C. Maxwell

• Verlag: HarperCollins Leadership
• Jahr: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781400275809
• Thema: Theologie & Religion
• Thema: Christliche Kirche

When many companies lose their CEO, they go into a tailspin. But when Roberto Goizueta died, Coca-Cola didn't even hiccup. Why? Before his death, Goizueta lived by the Law of Legacy.

THE LAW OF LEGACY

A Leader’s Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession

What do you want people to say at your funeral? That may seem like an odd question, but it may be the most important thing you can ask yourself as a leader. Most people never consider it. And that’s not good, because if they don’t, their lives and leadership can take a direction different from that of their greatest potential impact. If you want your leadership to really have meaning, you need to take into account the Law of Legacy. Why? Because a leader’s lasting value is measured by succession.

STRIVING FOR MEANING

Eleanor Roosevelt commented, “Life is like a parachute jump; you’ve got to get it right the first time.” I’ve always been conscious of the fact that our time here on earth is limited and we need to make the most of it. Life is not a dress rehearsal. My father impressed that upon me when I was a teenager. As a result, I’ve always had drive and desired to be the best I could be at whatever I did. But I have to admit, my goals and desires have changed quite a bit over the years, and that has affected the direction of my leadership.

Clare Boothe Luce, the writer, politician, and ambassador, popularized the idea of the “life sentence”—a statement summarizing the goal and purpose of one’s life. When I started in my career in the late 1960s, my life sentence could have been expressed as, “I want to be a great pastor.” Several years later as I worked and realized my shortcomings as a speaker, my sentence changed to be, “I want to be a great communicator.” For more than a decade, improving my speaking skills became a major focus. However, when I reached my early thirties, I realized that if all I ever did was speak, my impact would always be limited. There are only so many days in a year and so many people who will come to an event to hear you. I wanted to reach more people than that. That’s when I decided, “I want to be a great writer.”

It took me three years to write my first book; it’s a small volume ...