Recently my father passed away and at his memorial, I found it hard to find the right words to describe ‘who I am because of who he was’.

What I do know is that my dad was not a conformist and a follower. He was a true leader and he was not afraid to do what he felt was the right thing to do at the time, despite what others would think. Today that management style is coined as “authentic leadership”.

My dad inspired me to follow a similar path, to find my own voice, and to become my own person. He was my first role model laying the foundation of one of my fundamental beliefs: “that we don’t have to conform to what we think society expects; being different is what sets us apart.”

Another trait that I might deny I inherited, but one that I can clearly see in his grandsons, is his love for a good argument. For instance, he would argue that “the sky is green”, just for the fun of provoking a lively debate. But what I do admit, is that the seeds were sown that lead to my love for brainstorming and my outside-the-box thinking.

Remarkably enough, even though my father studied science and I studied accounting, there were similarities in how our careers unfolded. We both ended up spending the bulk of our careers running a manufacturing concern, although in his case it included mining. I believe my passion for business strategy and complexity and my love for manufacturing stem from my father. Sometimes I felt that outside of work he was the only person close to me who truly understood what I did.

The question that I sometimes ask myself is: ‘Am I my father’s daughter because of nature or nurture?’ But although I believe the answer is “both”, the answer in itself is irrelevant. Because I AM my father’s daughter and his legacy lives on in me, and in turn, that legacy will live on in his grandsons.

So, the question that you could ask yourself is: “Are you intentional about the legacy you are leaving?”

 I believe we all have the opportunity to leave a legacy that is uniquely us. To get a sense of how I can help you be intentional about your legacy, please reach out to me by completing the contact form or visit my website.

 #leavingalegacy #livingwithintention #purposeandmeaning #coaching #m3perspectives