My grandfather had a favorite saying: “Have you ever seen a hearse going into a cemetery with a U-Haul attached?” It was a good line that always got a laugh but one that had a deeper meaning as well. What we accumulate materially does not make a lasting legacy.
This is not a message about foregoing the comforts in life. We all work hard and should enjoy the things that come from our labor: a nice house, a good car, a family vacation, sending our children to college. But all of these things are temporary.
Far more important is the legacy we build today and leave for others tomorrow. As I’ve written about previously on this blog, legacy is not a goal or aspiration for “one day” when you have more money, time, or resources. Building a values-based legacy begins right here, right now as you strive to make a difference—particularly in a world that often feels so fractured, polarized, and uncertain.
A Conversation About Legacy
In my teaching and my presentations on values-based leadership, I often hear stories about how people give back. Each is a testament to the fact that we can make a positive difference in the world, locally or globally.
One of those conversations was with Stephen Isaacs, who for more than 30 years has been my friend, health care industry colleague, and someone I admire for the many ways in which he gives back. Steve has done much good in the world and continues to do so.
As I wrote about him in my book Your Values-Based Legacy, Steve has traveled extensively, often with his wife and children: Nepal, India, Bhutan, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brazil, and across Africa. Every place they went, Steve taught his children to recognize “the disparity of life”—that many in the world struggle for the basic necessities of life. That realization became an invitation to make a difference.
Steve and his family have undertaken a number of humanitarian projects, particularly in Africa, to support nutrition, alleviate poverty, improve health, and provide opportunities for education. Importantly, these projects involve partnerships with local people, to empower them and support self-determination.
In addition, Steve founded Aduro Biotech, focused on immuno-oncology (a form of cancer treatment), autoimmunity. The true legacy of this venture is its research, not the profit it could possibly generate one day. He’s also an advisor to Yemaachi Biotech, the first biotech company founded in Ghana, which is searching for cancer markers within the genetically diverse African population.
Listening to Steve, I wanted to know more about his early influences. Had he, like me, learned about the importance of giving back from his family of origin?
To answer my question, Steve recalled Sunday evening get-togethers with his family— “with rich, unhealthy food and home-based family music, all held in the haze of unfiltered cigarette smoke.” Not exactly the typical idyllic scene, perhaps, but it shines brightly in Steve’s memory. “The lesson from these Sunday evenings was that good times and rich experiences are based on love and togetherness and not necessarily connected to material wealth.”
This became the legacy that Steve inherited: familial love that fosters connection and a calling to help others.
Nature or Nurture
What about us? What are the roots of our own desire to make a difference?
Research has shown that nature and nurture—our genetics and our environment—can influence us, from our characteristics to our behaviors. Beyond the role of these influences, we cannot underestimate another key ingredient: our own intentions.
Even if we came from a family that emphasized the importance of giving back—as my siblings and I learned while growing up—we need to make our own choices. In other words, we have to be intentional about building a legacy.
Our legacy may begin with supporting a cause or volunteering in your community. As I also wrote recently, small actions can make a big difference.
As we reflect on the issues that speak to us—hunger, poverty, education, the environment—we often find the imprint of our earliest influences: grandparents, parents, teachers, mentors, and leaders. By their words and examples, they encourage us to contemplate a key question: What difference are we making on this Earth?
Pursuing the answer is what makes the journey truly worthwhile. It is the start of living a life of purpose and meaning and building a legacy for others.
