Personal legacies – intentionally created or shaped by default

This week’s article from Dave Ulrich truly resonated with me. Our journey through our career can seem inextricably linked with our journey of growth as human beings.

As he says about our personal legacy, ‘Everyone has one whether intentionally created or shaped by default.’

Building our position and status in corporate life feels satisfying and seductive, especially when wrapped up in a package of financial reward and such trimmings as luxury offices, travel and hotels.

When you step out of corporate life as many of us do, e.g. to become consultants, all that can be stripped away and it can be a shock to realise how much weight we had attached to all that. And to realise that we need to shape our own identity rather than have it shaped by our organisation or our role.

That’s where the visual below led my thinking – the duality of human and role. Where does it take yours?

In particular, seeing Executive Presence at the top of the ladder. This is a complex area. A client recently asked me for a workshop on this topic, and we had to break down her perceptions of what this actually means and looks like.

I like Dave’s definition of executive presence, and the description of the journey towards it.

My colleague Asad Husain will also agree that ‘personalising your career’ and making intentional choices is a foundational step on the ladder.

There are a lot of purposeful steps captured here, all requiring reflection and self-control.

The spirit behind Dave’s article captures why coaching leaders is so rewarding and also so powerful. Every journey through both career and life is personal, and it is our identity, our values and our sense of self that strengthen and also protect us.

Discerning that for ourselves takes courage and self-insight, and many of us benefit from a coaching friend to help us with that.

Contact me if you’d like to explore that informally.