Leaving a Legacy through Eulogy

What is your leadership legacy? 

What would people say about you after you are gone? 

What will they remember about you as a leader?

One way to learn to think about this is to observe and listen to what people say about others.  The eulogies from Tim Russert's memorial service are great examples of remembering a leader.  My favorite one is the one from Betsy Fischer, Russert's long-time executive producer of Meet the Press.  She talks about Tim favorite form of exercise was to "bend over and lift someone up." 

In order to show a few segments to my leadership students, I found all of the segments and the transcripts on the Huffington Post.

It is wonderful to be able to watch each person remember Tim Russert and then to have the words.  What a great and free resource.  This is a powerful teaching tool.

 

What would people say about me?  This question is always on my mind. 

 

Jann's Note:  Facing our own mortality and legacy work are essential components of Sage-ing.  The sooner we realize this, the better.

Comments

[Greg Jansma]

Writing our eulogies in class was pry one of the hardest things I have ever had to do! However, I felt like it was a really good exercise because it really makes you think about how you want people to remember you. I think it also brings a sense of closeness to not only the people that you may mention in your eulogy but also the people that heard the eulogy because they are able to get a sense of who you really were and they remember you exactly the way they wanted to.

[Jann Freed]

Thanks for your feedback. You bring up some good points about the people mentioned and the people listening. Based on past experiences, I think you will remember this activity. Hopefully, it can help be a guide to how you want to live your life. Were you moved by listening to the others?

[Amy Schmitt]

I love the quote about the best exercise being lifting someone else up! It is true that you gain as much or more from helping others as they do....a true win-win in my experience.
The idea of writing my own Eulogy is very frustrating to think about but I can see the benefits of doing it. It allows you to think about your life in a new way...what do you want to accomplish/legacy to leave? When thinking about this, you can turn back to the present and ask yourself if the things you are doing now are in line with the legacy you hope to have? It forces you to think about how you are living each day--no excuses.

[Sara Hugley]

I will be remembered as a loving and obedient daughter, and a loyal and caring friend. I hope as I live my life that I will be able to expound on different personal traits and character qualities.

[Ashley Ellingson]

I have loved listening to the words people have said about Tim Russert. He seemed like a great man who touched many lives.

The idea of writing my own eulogy is tough. I know the type of life I try to live, but to actually put that into words is going to be tough. This is kind of a wake up call...are you living the life you want to? Are you making the decisions to get you closer to this ideal life? Are you happy with the person you are?