Have you ever thought about your leadership as a huge part of your legacy? I mean, have you looked in your leadership mirror and really thought about what type of a legacy you were leaving behind? What do you want to be known for? What are you most passionate about and what impact do you want to make or already are making day in and day out? That’s the kind of stuff legacies are made of. And I don’t know about you…but that is my favorite part about leadership. We have the opportunity to make a huge impact day in and day out in the lives of others. The question I am wondering is, are we truly stepping into the legacy we want to leave behind us?
To me, passion and purpose are very closely related. So often as leaders we start out with the best intentions to stay as passionate as we are that first day. But then, we are hit by a whole bunch of blows and eventually we may begin to lose our passion and our purpose and get lost in the fires that we are trying to put out each day. I know this has happened to me more than once…It wasn’t until I did some passion work and thought about the legacy I wanted to be known for that I started to be more intentional about my impact and my leadership choices. Now, don’t get me wrong, the fires still pop up in a blaze of glory some days, and I find myself scrambling. But I know better now. I know how to pick myself back up, and it always starts with going back to my passion and purpose.
Legacy isn’t just a one time thing. Legacy consists of all these little actions that you did each day that built up to a common pattern of behavior that you are known for. Legacy requires commitment and grit. It is how we choose to live our lives on a daily basis. So for me, I want to leave a legacy to leaders in the world that they can have passion and purpose in their leadership again. That they can love their career again. That is isn’t always about being drained and overwhelmed. That problems can get solved and that there is hope to lead and have a fulfilled life in and outside of school. I want my kids, the teachers and students to see what is possible in life by watching me set clear plans and steps to make my dreams happen. I want to model that so that people can see what is possible. I want to do that for me as well. So girls, especially, can see what is possible. I have three girls of my own and I want them to see me living out my passion and purpose and the grit that it takes. They can then develop their own clear pathway to finally achieving their passion and purpose. It is the things that we do every day in life that lead to a legacy. And more often than not, it is the small things, like holding a door for someone, saying please and thank you, thanking your coach after a practice.
In order to find passion and purpose again in your leadership or in your personal life, I believe that you need to really take a deep dive into what sets your heart on fire. So for me, I really wanted to inspire and motivate teachers to help them take action on top priorities and get results. I wanted to help people solve problems by teaching them how to do it. I knew that if I wanted to inspire and motivate them, then I needed to help them get results productively and efficiently. I knew that I had to help them with what mattered to them rather than what was on my divisional or schoolwide agenda. I went to work developing a problem solving system that could help teachers set up a roadmap to solve their top priority. I would also teach them how to set deadlines for themselves, gather evidence along the way to notice progress, and celebrate their success by empowering them to become leaders who coached and team taught with other teachers. I built an entire digital course, called School Administrator’s Academy so that I could not only help teachers in the school I was in, but to also help leaders around the world do this very same thing. In this process, teachers began to also find their passion and purpose. But there were bumps along the way too. That is inevitable. Don’t kid yourself or let anyone tell you otherwise. This problem solving work is a tough business!
Look at what lights you up in your leadership and find that 10% edge within that. The 10% edge is where you do the research and you develop some steps or an action plan to make it happen. The next place to start to define your legacy and ignite your passion and purpose is to set up a roadmap or a timeline. Take out a piece of paper and think about your purpose as a leader and set up actions steps with a timeline for check-ins to see that you are making progress. Next, make a timeline from the beginning of your leadership to now. Go up in increments of 2-5 years up to the present. I got this idea from a book I am reading by Amy McLaren called Passion to Purpose. Look back on that timeline and see how far you have come. Chances are you didn’t even realized all that you have accomplished. Seeing how far you have come will definitely ignite some passion and purpose into your future timeline. In my timeline, I started with my very first year of teaching and went up in increments of two years up to now. I realized, in that time, that I had accomplished many things that I never even realized. Things like, taught in three different schools, wrote and published 3 school plays, became a vice principal, was a divisional leader, took 3 courses, got my masters, etc. Next, I created my future timeline and within that I set deadlines to follow my passion. Some of the items that I have on my timeline are, to be my own boss, own a digital course company and membership, become a divisional curriculum leader and influencer. Big dreams my friends! But because I have a timeline and an actionable roadmap, I have a lot more clarity which gives me the courage to follow and achieve my passion and purpose. So each day, I work towards that and that is what will get us there. Commitment and a plan!
This timeline helps you identify things in the past that lit you up and allows you to be intentional about putting it into the present so that you can find that passion again. It is so important to take time to put the things you love back into your life. Maybe it is taking a dance class again, or cooking. Whatever it is, bring it back and watch how it changes your life! But remember, the most important ingredient to finding your passion and purpose again in order to make the impact you want and leave a legacy you are proud of, is commitment. If you are not committing, things won’t change. Be intentional about your passion timeline.
Let’s talk about the obstacles that will get in your way as you look for your passion and purpose. There is always that self doubt that lingers and tells us we can’t or we don’t have time. Not to mention, there may be people in your life (even people you really love) that doubt your passions and purpose. I had someone who was very close to me in my life really come at me with some hard questions. This was really hard but once I got over the words and went to the root of the questions, I realized I was in control of my own passion and purpose and that my actions were all part of my passion roadmap. So I kept building momentum in spite of those words. Block it out. Yep it’s hard… but do it anyway. Go back to your heart and what you truly believe and listen to that. You are the only one who can fulfill your needs so your heart and your gut are your best voices to listen to. No one else knows how your dreams and passions make you feel… but you do…and that is what matters. Monitor your self talk and reframe how you want to look at harder situations. You know that saying, “But, what if I fall?…My darling, but what if you fly?” That’s a reframe!
Once you have got your timeline to find your passion, purpose, and legacy and you have committed to it, and found a way to deal with the self doubt that pops up, find a community to share it with. They will lift you up, cheer you on, inspire you, and give you energy. They help you refine your purpose and get you talking about your passion. Not to mention, they check you and hold you accountable in a positive vs. a negative way. One of my favorite two communities that I am a part of is the free facebook group called Principals and Leadership and my digital course community called School Administrator’s Academy. They are inspirational communities of like-minded people who are looking for or already have found their passion and purpose. It lights me up to hear all about the work other leaders are doing in their schools. These types of communities also lead you to people whom you can collaborate with to make your passion and purpose come to life. We all know that it takes a village to make things happen so collaboration and community are key.
So, my friend, your passion and purpose matter and so does your legacy. Remember, it doesn’t have to be huge things. You can have the most amazing impact on someone’s life just by doing the little things. It is these small things that often make the most impact. Find out what fills your cup and lights you up, do a passion timeline (past, present, and future), set up some actions to start infusing your passion back into your life, collaborate and find your community. Get clear on your passion, the impact, and the legacy that you want to make. Write it down and start creating your roadmap. Watch your passion and purpose grow when you start to do these things!
Now that you have your passion roadmap, download my free guide on Reframing How You Show Up for Yourself! And come share your passion and purpose in our free facebook community called Principals and Leadership.
McLaren, Amy. Passion to Purpose. United States, Hay House Inc., 2021.
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