Through her, his unique way of working became common practice
in the lab. Despite his lack of effectiveness as a communicator, he
was able to leave his legacy when someone else perceived that
he had something to offer to the organization.
There are myriad opportunities to build legacy daily. Often in our
own consulting practice, the question is asked, “How did you know
that?” or “Why did you make that intervention then?” The answer
comes out of our experience, which we’ve reflected on and derived
particular meaning from in order to integrate theory and practice.
What we give our clients in part could probably be found in a vari-
ety of textbooks. Still, how and why we do what we do is our unique
twist. It is our meaning grown out of our own learning and then
passed along. Over time, this includes the books, programs, failures,
successes, and ideas that came before us, and it also includes our own
“spin” on each of these. Our legacy is our capacity to articulate this
spin and transfer it to our clients, our protégés, and our colleagues.
The Loss of Learning
When a difficult problem is addressed by an organization, it gener-
ates valuable learning. Although this happens regularly in business,
it is only rarely and then generally by accident or anecdote that lead-
ers and managers cull this learning, discuss it, and perhaps pass it on
to others. In most organizations, there is little or no commitment to
establishing an awareness of “how we did what we did” or “why it
didn’t work” before the arrival of another important thing to do.
When such learning is lost, managers miss the opportunity to
more effectively address future issues and to help develop leaders
who will benefit from this experience in the future. In other words,
bypassed learning opportunities translate readily into risks and costs:
Failure to leverage intellectual capital for future gains
A risk of re-creating past problems
An inability to build capacity and “bench strength” through
the ranks of the organization214 LEADINGORGANIZATIONALLEARNING