Grooming next generation leaders to guarantee legacy

During a recent business trip to Scotland I was privileged to see the three bridges over the Firth of Forth. Standing tall and mighty alongside each other over the river Forth in Eastern Scotland they are among Scotland’s most iconic symbols. Each was built across three different centuries and each, being milestones in civil engineering at the time they were built, represented the engineering pinnacle of their day. The first of the three, the ‘Forth’ bridge, completed in the 19th century (1890) as the answer to reducing the time it took to cross the Forth by ferry by introducing a train crossing, is the world’s most famous cantilever, was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2015 and voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in 2016. The development of motor vehicle transport led to the building of the second, the ‘Forth road’ bridge erected alongside the first, which was completed in the 20th century (1964). It was the largest road bridge in Europe at the time and was designated a category ‘A’ listed structure in 2001 giving credence to it as an amazing engineering feat. The ‘Queensferry crossing’, the third of the iconic structures, built alongside her two ‘Sisters’ was completed in the 21st century (2007) to support the growing road traffic over the ‘Forth road’ crossing and was billed as Scotland’s largest construction project in a generation, is the tallest bridge in the UK and is the largest three tower cable stage bridge in the world. Despite the commissioning of the ‘Queensferry crossing’, the ‘Forth’ continues to handle some rail traffic while the ‘Forth road’ continues to handle minor road and pedestrian traffic.

These three steel and cable marvels are a great example of perfect generational hand over with each performing the role for which they were designed and then handing over to the next generation as times changed; the first giving way to the second in light of global innovation, the second giving way to the third in light of global population pressure, each continuing to play a role, albeit a smaller one, even after their relevance has somewhat diminished and with each subsequent one achieving higher engineering accolades than the former. I believe that enshrined in this lies a great leadership lesson.

Ensuring generational continuity is the surest way to guarantee future relevance and grow legacy and although this is usually a known fact, the pressure for immediate results or mere shortsightedness leads to deviant leadership behavior. It takes true courage and vision for leaders to consciously act towards a long-term goal and developing the muscle to do so starts with intent. Just as all good dancers will leave the stage at some point, so too will the time come for every leader to leave the scene. The question remains though, how would you like your time on the scene to be remembered? The answer to this question will determine the strategic leadership actions one will take at the present time. If indeed your intention is to grow a legacy you will ensure you build leaders today that will not only carry your vision forward but build onto it too. Not all leaders are keen on building for the next generation so your choice of leader to build as well as your chosen method of building him/her will be a key determinant of success.

Culture and tradition play a big role in the process of developing those who will carry your vision into the future. Across the business world there are certain communities that have become adept at this practice and because they have done it successfully over time, all subsequent generations in those communities have come to expect that they will have to play the ‘hand over’ role when their time comes. They are adept at keeping an eye out for future industry trends and allowing and supporting young protegees the freedom to experiment with ideas that will appeal to that future by opening themselves up to transformative ideas. As they do this though, they are careful to ensure that the foundation that they build during their time at the helm is solid enough to support their future ambition. By allowing the future leaders to take the ‘future preparedness’ actions the leadership is in a way subtly communicating the organization’s culture as a springboard to the future as well as creating ‘ownership’ by the future generations of leaders. Furthermore, they build onto this ownership by allowing the future leaders to participate in building the long-term strategic goals that they will be implementing when their time at the helm comes. Remember that transformation is not just about change for the sake of it, but rather about building on what’s already there. Winning their participation in planning the future big picture allows for that positive type of positive transformation.

Finally, you must know when to let go. When your time comes, resist the temptation to hang on too long. Too many times leaders fear facing the reality of ‘mortality’ and hang on until it’s too late or they are pushed out by the passage of time. This is a sure way to break down the continuity that they sought in the first place. Such leaders should console themselves in the fact that just like the three bridges over the Firth of Forth, they will continue to have a role even when the future generation takes over the helm.