As I sat waiting for a haircut yesterday I was struck by how ESPN was applying the idea of legacy to the NBA finals.
The types of questions that kicked off the segment were:
- Which team will win their 18th or 16th championship?
- How will they be remembered if they do or don’t win?
- How will they compare to the previous winners?
- How does Kobe compare to Michael or Magic?
- How does this year’s Boston big three compare to the 80’s big three?
The questions go on and on, but I found all the conversation that followed these questions interesting because they all speak to how the team or player will be remembered and how they compare to something else.
Dictionary.com defines legacy as anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.
I like the distinction the definition makes, because I see legacy as more than just a memory or comparison. As a sports fan that grew up in Massachusetts I definitely remember the Celtics in the 80’s, but I’m not sure I can name what they handed down to me and therefore what their legacy is versus this year’s team if they win or lose.
The video in the barber shop caught my eye because prior to the NBA playoffs I was also thinking about the idea of legacy. I recently posed the question of legacy to 12 high school seniors. They were a core nucleus of a high school boy’s lacrosse team I was helping coach. The team had a 500 record at the time, was roughly a quarter of the way into the season and was trying to establish an identity. We had 20 other team members that would be left to remember and carry forward what the seniors modeled and left behind.
Admittedly it is not easy to get high school seniors to think about this concept, especially when they are into colleges and focused on what is right in front of them rather than what they potentially leave behind. However, I figured it was worth a shot and introduced it to them by telling them; “You will reflect on this time throughout your life. It may not make sense to you now, but I promise you there will be a day when it will be true for you. So I ask you:”
- What do you want to remember about this season?
- What is the story you want to be able to tell?
- How do you want to be remembered?
- What is the word that captures it for you?
- How we will we (the coaches) and the other 30 something members of our team know you are bringing that to life on and off the field, in games and practices (what does it look like, specific actions/behaviors)?
- What is the Boy’s Lacrosse class of 2010 as a whole going to be remembered for?
The answers we got back were extremely compelling and thoughtful. They chose words like passion, dedication, pride, focus, resilience, intensity, heart and zest. The outcome of the exercise, because I know you are all curious, you ask. Our record ultimately remained at 500 for the season, which was a huge improvement for the team over the previous year. More importantly 12 seniors got very intentional about what they wanted to model every day in order to contribute to the longer-term success of the lacrosse program after they graduate.
The legacy exercise also provided the 20 players that remain behind visible memories and written words as a reminder of what the seniors’ handed down to them and created as a legacy. It gives them something to calibrate against as they seek to create their own legacies going forward.
Beyond the sport applications I have discussed, I find the concept of legacy powerful because it is applicable to all three channels Gimbal Systems is thinking about; sales, decisions and effectiveness. In all three areas it is important to broaden the lens from just focusing on immediate results to considering the lasting impression we are making and leaving behind. There are too many examples in our lives today that highlight the negative consequences when individuals and organizations lose sight of or never even stop to consider their legacy.
So I will finish where I started with the question I think everyone should consider: what’s your legacy and what are you doing to create it?