What's Next?

This past week I attended graduation celebrations for two community leadership classes recognizing the accomplishments of 17 persons who successfully completed the program requirements. One of these classes held a special place in my heart as it represents the culmination of a dream I had to collaborate with a local chamber of commerce and create a truly unique learning experience for emerging community and business leaders. At a breakfast reception honoring the inaugural Leadership Upper Bucks participants, several of the class members shared their perspectives about the program and how it has prepared them for more effective leadership. Later that morning, as we held our final class, they realized their journey was only beginning.

We often associate graduation with the end of a particular era in our life. While it is true that a high school or college commencement marks an educational milestone, it also means launching into a new phase of one’s life. Leadership education and personal growth includes answering the question, “Now that I have these new skills and this additional knowledge, what’s next?” For the class I facilitated this past week that question was framed in a very specific way, “What will be your leadership legacy?”

A legacy is more than the physical and financial assets we generally associate with personal and professional success. Effective leaders recognize that their primary task is to train and produce future leaders. This important task is accomplished through modeling and mentoring those who follow us to become truly inspirational leaders. The graduating class was challenged to consider how they will be more courageous, authentic, serving, truthful, loving, and effective in the years ahead as they apply what they learned and experienced.

During a planned group activity, everyone was invited to share in a small group setting a story of a time when they were particularly courageous in their life. Then that same level of courage was applied to a current situation they were facing. Finally, each participant made a commitment to act courageously so they would implement the changes necessary to achieve a different outcome. This powerful exercise served to highlight why leaders should always be considering the “what’s next” question for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Resting on our laurels or basking in the warm glow of accomplishment is never the purpose of educational endeavors or coaching sessions. Effective leaders don’t stop learning, achieving, or doing. They see destinations as launch sites for their next big adventure and courageously apply what they know from previous experiences to the current and future challenges they are sure to face. If complacency is your current leadership modus operandi, ponder the “what’s next” question in your life. You may just find yourself renewed and rejuvenated for the task at hand. In fact, your leadership legacy depends on it.