What Legacy Do I Want To Leave?

When we talk about succession planning, too often the focus is on who will take over a role, but true succession isn’t just about ensuring someone else can do the job. It’s about passing on the lessons learned along the way and creating an impact that can be celebrated.

With nearly 25% of the workforce expected to retire in the next 8–10 years, organizations face a real risk of losing immense institutional knowledge (McKinsey, 2025). This “brain drain” goes beyond headcount; it represents decades of intuition, problem-solving, and workplace memory that can’t be found in a manual.

So how do we bridge the gap?

One solution is to turn seasoned leaders into coaches. Coaching is different from managing, it requires skill in listening, questioning, and guiding rather than directing. Investing in training your senior people to coach equips them to transfer wisdom in ways younger generations can receive and apply.

Storytelling is another powerful tool. When leaders share stories of challenges they’ve faced, and how they overcame them, it not only preserves knowledge but also strengthens culture. Recording these stories, whether through video libraries or mentorship journals, creates a living archive for future teams. McKinsey highlights examples of companies capturing legacy skills through videos where retiring employees demonstrate and explain the “why” behind their actions, pitfalls to avoid, and tricks of the trade (2025).

In my book “From Conflict to Collaboration” I talk about how to nurture coaching across generations. “Coaching, at its best, isn’t just about performance—it’s about partnership.” Pg 39) 

Leaving a legacy isn’t about clinging to the past. It’s about ensuring the wisdom of today becomes the foundation of tomorrow. Leaders who intentionally capture, coach, and codify knowledge create more than successors, they create stewards of culture and capability.

The question for every leader is this: what will you leave behind for those who follow?