Andrew Kakabadse, Professor of International Management Development, Cranfield School of Management
In the run-up to the Games, communities and organisations across the UK are being encouraged to create projects that celebrate London 2012 in a way that is relevant to them and which will leave a lasting legacy.
Few leaders are remembered for leaving a remarkable legacy behind them but Steve Jobs is one such example. As the face of Apple for so many years, Jobs became part of the very fabric of the company’s products. It is not uncommon for a chief executive (CEO) to start thinking about their legacy early on in their role. The following comments are from two different world renowned chief executives during interviews undertaken by Cranfield as part of a global study into the role of Chairmen on boards. Both are outstanding performers and both are reflecting on the issue of legacy.
“I put the organisation and all those involved first, but that for me had its consequences. I upset a prominent, national political figure, but I felt I had no choice. I do not know how I will be remembered but at least I hope others understand the reasons for my actions and the values and beliefs that drove me.”
“I worked hard to make the organisation what it is today. It became part of me and that, on reflection, was the problem. I became over concerned with posterity and the image I would leave behind. I Interfered with many things even after I left. The place has slowly deteriorated. I should have stepped aside and let the business determine its own direction and way forward.”
The unfortunate passing of Steve Jobs has drawn considerable attention to a topic prominent in the discourses of Plato and Aristotle, that of legacy. Throughout history, outstanding leaders have been distinguished by their strength of character and deep conviction of purpose and mission. Whether dictatorial or collaborative by inclination, their oratory nurtured a charisma that convinced, perhaps even manipulated, others to applaud their cause. President Harry Truman’s words “a man or woman who can persuade people to do what they ought to do... without being persuaded”, ring true.
These outstanding men and women are the legacy leaders. They are the ones who have others do what they desire because of their ability to inflame passions that the motivation to do so comes from within.
However, the ancients equally warned us of the downside of legacy leaders. The profound and evident contribution of Steve Jobs is countered by the scandals of Bernie Madoff and Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco. These leaders were originally viewed as people of high integrity but later revealed to have abused their privileged position.
Some are crooked from the start; others unfortunately just lapse. Aristotle, was deeply conscious of the challenge of continuously being virtuous not just because of the erosive effect of personal weaknesses, but also because of the impact of forever balancing competing moral priorities. In this sense, the search for everlasting posterity can become an overarching temptation in its own right.
Even some fifteen hundred years before Socrates, the Chinese extolled the virtues of balance captured in philosophies that have become catchphrases of today, Taoism and Daoism. The Tao, (the way), is a journey of trial and tribulation where man and woman stand bare in front of the world clothed only by their virtue as a cover for their modesty.
In the run-up to the Games, communities and organisations across the UK are being encouraged to create projects that celebrate London 2012 in a way that is relevant to them and which will leave a lasting legacy.
Few leaders are remembered for leaving a remarkable legacy behind them but Steve Jobs is one such example. As the face of Apple for so many years, Jobs became part of the very fabric of the company’s products. It is not uncommon for a chief executive (CEO) to start thinking about their legacy early on in their role. The following comments are from two different world renowned chief executives during interviews undertaken by Cranfield as part of a global study into the role of Chairmen on boards. Both are outstanding performers and both are reflecting on the issue of legacy.
“I put the organisation and all those involved first, but that for me had its consequences. I upset a prominent, national political figure, but I felt I had no choice. I do not know how I will be remembered but at least I hope others understand the reasons for my actions and the values and beliefs that drove me.”
“I worked hard to make the organisation what it is today. It became part of me and that, on reflection, was the problem. I became over concerned with posterity and the image I would leave behind. I Interfered with many things even after I left. The place has slowly deteriorated. I should have stepped aside and let the business determine its own direction and way forward.”
The unfortunate passing of Steve Jobs has drawn considerable attention to a topic prominent in the discourses of Plato and Aristotle, that of legacy. Throughout history, outstanding leaders have been distinguished by their strength of character and deep conviction of purpose and mission. Whether dictatorial or collaborative by inclination, their oratory nurtured a charisma that convinced, perhaps even manipulated, others to applaud their cause. President Harry Truman’s words “a man or woman who can persuade people to do what they ought to do... without being persuaded”, ring true.
These outstanding men and women are the legacy leaders. They are the ones who have others do what they desire because of their ability to inflame passions that the motivation to do so comes from within.
However, the ancients equally warned us of the downside of legacy leaders. The profound and evident contribution of Steve Jobs is countered by the scandals of Bernie Madoff and Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco. These leaders were originally viewed as people of high integrity but later revealed to have abused their privileged position.
Some are crooked from the start; others unfortunately just lapse. Aristotle, was deeply conscious of the challenge of continuously being virtuous not just because of the erosive effect of personal weaknesses, but also because of the impact of forever balancing competing moral priorities. In this sense, the search for everlasting posterity can become an overarching temptation in its own right.
Even some fifteen hundred years before Socrates, the Chinese extolled the virtues of balance captured in philosophies that have become catchphrases of today, Taoism and Daoism. The Tao, (the way), is a journey of trial and tribulation where man and woman stand bare in front of the world clothed only by their virtue as a cover for their modesty.
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