A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession.
What do you want people to say at your funeral? What you stood for should be evident in your actions.
What the Law of Legacy means
The same is true for organizations: when a leader leaves the company, others must carry on in their place.
If you train your people well and become the leader you want them to be, you ensure that your legacy lives on.
What the Law of Legacy looks like in practice
Sown by Schröder, harvested under Merkel
Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010 was so unpopular that it contributed to his 2005 election defeat. Yet unemployment later fell from over 11 to around 5 percent – and Angela Merkel was able to build on that foundation.
Passing the baton at the height of success
Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge handed over FC Bayern not in a crisis but at the peak of success, after two trebles. Their successors, Oliver Kahn and Herbert Hainer, shared the club’s values and were already rooted in it.
An inheritance worth more than money
In the film “The Ultimate Legacy” (2015), young Joey receives an inheritance – and his uncle Jason Stevens helps him find the meaning of life. In the end, Joey lives out love, generosity and responsibility himself.
What the animation shows
The gold passes from generation to generation – and keeps shining long after the first is gone.
