What Legacy Really Means at Work

Hey friends,

At our August 21 Generation IQ Roundtable, someone shared a story I can’t stop thinking about. As a brand-new 22-year-old manager, she used to call her boss for help with every little crisis. Finally, he told her: “Unless the building is on fire, don’t call me. Make the mistake. That’s how you’ll learn.”

That one piece of wisdom gave her the confidence to lead—and it stayed with her for decades.

It reminded me that legacy isn’t about plaques on the wall or retirement speeches. It’s about everyday lessons that ripple forward. But here’s the hard truth: in our organizations and even in society, we aren’t very good at legacy. We act like the moment we’re in is forever.

The Legacy Gap We Don’t Talk About

Too often:

  • Older leaders hang on too long, sometimes out of fear—because stepping aside feels like stepping closer to irrelevance (or even mortality).

  • Younger generations are frustrated, eager for opportunity, and left wondering why no one is moving aside to make room.

Both perspectives are real. Elders do have wisdom to offer. Younger employees are right that opportunities feel blocked. The challenge is finding the win-win—where experience fuels the future instead of bottling it up.

And underneath all of it is this question: How do we prepare for the fact that none of us stays in a role forever?

🌱 Four Practices of Everyday Legacy

Our group began to shape what this might look like in practice:

  1. Share Your Playbook 📘
    Write it down. Capture the how, not just the what.

  2. Tell the Story Behind the Work 🎤
    Stories carry values and lessons that manuals never can.

  3. Practice Co-Mentoring 🤝
    Knowledge flows both directions—fresh ideas meet experience.

  4. Pass the Torch Gradually 🔥
    Transition with care. Coaching and phased exits keep wisdom alive.

Everyday legacy isn’t a someday project—it’s something we can all practice now, at every stage of our career.

Questions Worth Sitting With

  • At what point in your career do you start thinking about legacy—your 30s? 40s? 50s?

  • What would it look like to make succession planning a normal practice, not an afterthought?

  • How might younger generations prepare for their own eventual “graduations” from traditional work?

Grateful for You

These Roundtables remind me that we don’t have to solve these tensions alone. Together, we are building a culture where legacy is not what we leave behind—it’s what lasts, because we’re willing to pass the torch and light the way for others.

✨ As we talked, it struck me that these Four Practices of Everyday Legacy are becoming a living framework. And next month, we’ll carry them forward as we ask: Who Will Tell Our Story? Belonging, Legacy, and the Knowledge We Share.

We’ll explore how belonging turns knowledge hoarding into knowledge sharing, and how employees of all ages can see themselves as legacy-builders—not just those nearing retirement.

📅 Save the Date: Thursday, September 18 at Noon (ET).

Until next time,

Mary


Mary Cooney