Legacy

What I've learned about
leading people.

Legacy is the people you helped grow. It starts long before you retire or sell.

Which stage are you in?

1. 01

   Building

   Where you are

   Everything goes into the company. It's the right season for it, and it's also the season that quietly costs the most.

   Common mistake

   Telling yourself the people in your life will understand later. Some will. The relationship still records the years.

   What to do next

   Pick one thing that doesn't move for anything — a night, a game, a standing call — and never move it.

2. 02

   Noticing

   Where you are

   Something makes you look up: a health scare, a kid getting older, a friend's exit that didn't fix anything.

   Common mistake

   Treating the moment as a mood, waiting for it to pass, and getting back to work.

   What to do next

   Shift the frame past your own lifetime and answer one question in writing: what do I want still running in people when I'm not here? Say it out loud to someone who isn't on the cap table.

3. 03

   Repairing

   Where you are

   You start rebuilding what the building cost — at home, in friendships, in your body.

   Common mistake

   Trying to repair with a big gesture instead of showing up boringly for a long time. Trust rebuilds on the small stuff.

   What to do next

   Ask the person directly what they'd want more of, then do exactly that for six months.

4. 04

   Passing on

   Where you are

   You start handing things down on purpose: what you know, who you know, and what you have.

   Common mistake

   Waiting until you've figured it all out. The people who need it need it now, unfinished.

   What to do next

   Name three people to invest in this year and tell them. Unspoken mentorship isn't mentorship.

5. 05

   Outlasting

   Where you are

   What you built keeps working without your name on it, and the people you shaped are shaping others.

   Common mistake

   Needing the credit. The moment you need it attributed, it stops compounding.

   What to do next

   Help one more person find theirs. That's the whole stage, and it's the only part that outlives you.

Next: Time