What legacy will you leave behind?

What legacy will you leave behind?

Most people would assume I meant - at the end of your life, what impact will you have made on the world? Whilst that is a good question, it's not the only time you leave a legacy behind.

Consider this:

• If you were to leave your current employer today, would they be glad to see you go, or would they be "mourning" your loss? Every job you do has your name on it - so, would you be proud to see it there, or would you be cringeing with embarrassment at the thought?
• Every time you meet a new client you are leaving a legacy behind. Did you garner good will or are they hoping you will NEVER call on them again?
• Every time you meet an existing client - is it a mutually beneficial meeting or can you see them backing away from you every time you walk through the door. Sometimes we do have to work with people we don't like - but it tends to be a short lived relationship.
• Every time you run a training course or give a presentation you are leaving part of yourself with your audience - and are they pleased to have met you and shared their precious time with you, or did you waffle on and offer them nothing for their time and money?

Everywhere we go and everything we do forms part of our personal legacy.

So - a question - what kind of legacy are you leaving behind?

But before I sign off on today's message. There is one more thing to consider - well two actually. Arrogance and Ego.

I met a group of small business owners a few weeks ago. In the most part, very pleasant people. But one - well, I hope I never have to do business with that gentleman. Arrogant, egotistical and sarcastic. We were talking about a subject I knew very well and he obviously didn't. Every time I made a comment, or offered a suggestion he would cut me off and offer a sarcastic response. So much so, the last time he did it, I said – “now how did I know you were going to make that comment”. I also figured he could carry on paying some random company the extortionate fee they were asking, even though I could have saved him the money.

Why?

Because he wasn’t prepared to listen.

He wanted to speak and he didn’t care who his audience was, he was the STAR with an opinion about everything. So I left him to it and made my excuses and left to join a different group of people.

Every day we have the chance to make an impression on people who we may only ever see once. But what impression will you leave on them?

He didn’t know who I was, I could have been his bank manager with the ability to say yay or nay to his next business loan, or the person who could save his life on the operating table. I could also be the person who mowed his lawn – but to him I didn’t matter.

Would I ever do business with this person?

The answer is no.

I don’t care if he had the best, cheapest widgets in town – I would sooner deal with the person and the company who treated me with respect, even if his widgets were more expensive. Some would say that’s a bad way to conduct MY business, but to me – if one person can be seen to be less than honest in one aspect of his life, then what about the rest? Trust is everything in business.

So what am I saying?

Just this:

Treat everyone with the respect YOU deserve and the rest will follow automatically.