What Continues Because We Were Here

Have you ever wondered what people will remember about you after you’re gone?

Will they remember the titles you held, the awards you earned, and the goals you achieved—or the lives you helped change?

I have had the privilege of leading and coaching a great many people throughout my career.

Many of those individuals have gone on to prominent positions in their own right.

Some have become CEOs.

Others have become Executive Vice Presidents, business owners, coaches, and leaders within their organizations and communities.

To be clear, they were talented people long before our paths crossed.

I cannot take credit for their success.

But I do take pride in knowing that in some small way I may have contributed to their growth and development.

Perhaps I helped them see something in themselves they had not yet recognized.

Perhaps I encouraged them when they needed it most.

Perhaps I simply demonstrated what not to do.

Whatever the contribution, they continued to grow.

In many cases, they advanced well beyond the level I attained in my own career.

And today they are developing leaders of their own.

That realization led me to one of my life’s goals.

I want to contribute to the development of one million leaders.

At first glance, that goal seems impossible.

There is no way I can personally coach, train, or mentor one million people.

But then I realized something important.

I don’t have to.

The beautiful thing about influence is that it multiplies.

Every leader we develop influences other leaders.

Every person we encourage has the opportunity to encourage someone else.

Every life we positively impact creates the possibility of impacting countless others.

My influence is being multiplied every day through people I once coached, led, taught, encouraged, or challenged.

Some of them I still know.

Many I do not.

And that’s perfectly okay.

At the end of the day, my personal accomplishments will have limited impact.

But the collective accomplishments of the people I have influenced—directly and indirectly—may continue long after I am gone.

That is the true power of influence.

It is not measured by what we accomplish.

It is measured by what continues because we were here.

What do you want people to remember about you after you’re gone?

Who are you investing in today that may someday influence others?

What legacy are you creating through the people around you?

CHALLENGE
Today, take one action that intentionally invests in another person’s growth.
You may never fully see the impact of that investment.
But influence was never about what happens to us.
It is about what happens because of us.