Shaping Your Leadership Legacy

Abstract

The Sunday, April 21, 2013, issue of Parade Magazine, an insert in most newspapers across the United States, featured an exclusive interview with former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. 1 Updegrove MK GWB. Parade Magazine. April 21, 2013; : 8-14 Google Scholar The interview coincided with the Spring 2013 opening of President Bush's Presidential Library and Museum located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The intent of the library is to provide historians with the ability to study the President's papers and also capture his legacy for all to remember. Although most of us will not have our very own presidential library, we still will leave behind a leadership imprint, good or bad, for which we will be remembered. This imprint or legacy will not just involve the papers we leave for posterity, but will also reflect how our colleagues, employees, and others think and behave as a result of the time they spent working with us. 2 Galford RM Maruca RF Your Leadership Legacy: Why Looking Toward the Future Will Make You a Better Leader Today. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA2006 Google Scholar Reading the Parade piece forces leaders to reflect on their own legacy and consider the following questions: What will be my leadership legacy? Why does a leadership legacy really matter? When should I begin to reflect on my leadership legacy? The Sunday, April 21, 2013, issue of Parade Magazine, an insert in most newspapers across the United States, featured an exclusive interview with former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. 1 Updegrove MK GWB. Parade Magazine. April 21, 2013; : 8-14 Google Scholar The interview coincided with the Spring 2013 opening of President Bush's Presidential Library and Museum located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The intent of the library is to provide historians with the ability to study the President's papers and also capture his legacy for all to remember. Although most of us will not have our very own presidential library, we still will leave behind a leadership imprint, good or bad, for which we will be remembered. This imprint or legacy will not just involve the papers we leave for posterity, but will also reflect how our colleagues, employees, and others think and behave as a result of the time they spent working with us. 2 Galford RM Maruca RF Your Leadership Legacy: Why Looking Toward the Future Will Make You a Better Leader Today. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA2006 Google Scholar Reading the Parade piece forces leaders to reflect on their own legacy and consider the following questions: What will be my leadership legacy? Why does a leadership legacy really matter? When should I begin to reflect on my leadership legacy?