The Power of Legacy

For various reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the idea of legacy.

As each year winds down, we often have an urge to reflect, which is followed quickly by a push to plan. We assess what we accomplished and then turn our attention to what’s next. Goals, strategies, priorities. These are all important. But I’ve been reflecting on questions with a longer horizon: What actually endures? What do we leave behind?

Thinking about the long term is the essential foundation of my work. Enduring Impact isn’t just a name. It reflects how I approach strategy, sustainability, and change. I help organizations think beyond short-term wins and design efforts that continue to matter long after a project or initiative ends.

But when it comes to the kind of legacy that tends to be most powerful, my first thoughts aren’t about frameworks, programs, or even outcomes. They’re about people.

I think about the personal connections that shape how someone sees themselves, their work, and what’s possible. The moments of mentorship, encouragement, and reframing that don’t typically get captured in reports but quietly influence decisions and directions long after. That’s the multiplier effect. You may never be able to trace it back to yourself, but it ripples outward all the same.

One of the most meaningful moments of my professional life came during my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Russia 25 years ago. I worked closely with many people and cared deeply about the community where I served. And one comment has stayed with me ever since.

Nadezhda, my closest colleague and friend, once told me that she hoped her high-school-aged daughter, one of my students, would grow up to be like me.

Even then, I understood the weight of what she was saying. It wasn’t about a specific program or outcome. It was about how I showed up. About perspective, values, and what felt possible. That moment crystallized something I’ve carried with me throughout my career.

I see the same dynamic in my work today. Whether it’s helping leaders rethink how they define sustainability, supporting teams in reframing complex challenges, or creating space for new ways of collaborating, the most lasting impact often isn’t the immediate deliverable. It’s the shift in how people think, engage, and move forward. And how they carry on the example you’ve given them.

As this year draws to a close, I find myself less interested in tallying accomplishments and more interested in this question: What are we leaving behind in the people we impact? Not just in what we build—but in how we influence, support, and expand what others believe is possible.

Long after plans change and strategies evolve, it’s those human connections that endure.