LegacyLEGACY CAN BE A SCARY WORD. It conjures up images of millionaires who want their ego to last beyond their death.

And nobody wants to think about death.

So I confess that I bring up the concept with just a little trepidation.

But let’s look at it this way in regards to your business:  Do you want your company to have an impact which lasts beyond your own involvement?  There’s a good chance that you do.

So let’s think about the size and endurance of that impact.

Your company is on a mission to make a difference in the world.  Not just to serve its customers well and make a profit, but something even more profound.  And if you personally should happen to leave the picture, intentionally or not, you’d like that momentum to continue.  Maybe even grow!

That’s your legacy.  Your continued impact, magnified by the size of your business.

When I work with clients in this area, I usually find that there are significant internal barriers which hold them back.  They love their employees, but they don’t have the confidence to release control to others.  So the business owner gets weighed down with the responsibility of being indispensable, which leads to burnout.  Employees don’t like it either, because their passion and creativity aren’t being tapped.

I often see that a client will struggle to get clear on their own personal “next step.”  Are you really going to be an active part of this organization when you’re 90 or even 100?  Even if you’re lucky enough to live that long, there’s a good chance that your body won’t be up to it.  And you might just want to take that well-earned vacation that you’ve been putting aside for 30 years.

These are a couple of examples of internal shifts in thinking, the ones which enable the success of the business.  I hesitate to state it, but at some point your thought patterns may be the largest impediment to growing the impact of your business mission.

Fortunately, that’s what coaches help with.  Just sayin’.