Legacy and Leadership

The old saying “You want to leave it better than you found it” has really been on my mind lately. Sadly, I feel that my generation is not following through on this and we are failing the next generation and the generation behind them.

We are leaving generations ahead with a national debt that is out of control, a failing environment, and a government that simply doesn’t work. And I should note that we also suffer from a workforce that is 70% disengaged, which means we are lacking some real people-centered leadership throughout our workforce.

Instead of looking in the mirror and taking responsibility, my generation and the generation above me likes to put it on the next generation to fix these problems. As long as the money is flowing, we believe we are fine and the next generation can take care of all the problems we are leaving them.

Please stop and reflect on what we are really doing here. It is sad and it is embarrassing.

When our youth look at the last presidential debate and see two grown men up there who can’t even have a “grown-up” debate, who can’t give our country some idea of where we might be headed, it is shameful. You can bet that this behavior will have a lasting effect on our youth and how they deal with each other and respect each other.

It is heartbreaking to watch and my only hope is that our next generations can look to their elders to learn from our mistakes and not to do things.

What we need is leadership that is selfless and cares about people first.

Leadership involves:

· Putting others’ needs first

· Having a true purpose of caring, respecting, and empathizing with and for people

· Having a true passion to help people grow and learn on a daily basis

· Having a true perspective that it could always be worse so you can handle the tough times better

I beg you, as leaders with purpose, perspective,and passion, make it your goal to leave it better than you found it.