Dr. Jann has found the secret ingredient—the Breadcrumb Legacy. Organizations understand the power of legacy—making a difference. What organizations may not understand is how to make legacy happen in a way that motivates its leaders and employees as well as the marketplace at large.
When organizations think about legacy, they think only about BIG wins—launching new products or acquiring a large competitor. Those kinds of legacy driving decisions happen rarely. What the organization is missing are ways of using legacy to drive peoples’ daily work in even small ways. Every use day of legacy is what I call leaving a Breadcrumb Legacy.
We often associate leaving a legacy with fame, money, and big accomplishments. In reality, we are leaving a legacy daily that can be positive or negative, based on the decisions and actions taken or not taken. Leaving a Breadcrumb Legacy is about making a difference in small ways and realizing small matters are what gives life meaning. When we are aware of the breadcrumbs we are leaving, we are more intentional about our decisions and actions. Legacy is often thought of as residing outside of ourselves left for others to decide, but we can control the difference we are making for our life and the impact we are having on others.
Dr. Jann is a leadership development consultant and speaker who organizations hire to work with their employees at every age and stage of life. But she is particularly focused on people who are 50 years plus nearing retirement as they may feel uncertain about life. She teaches employees how to find meaning and purpose in the second half of life by leaving a breadcrumb legacy so that it can be even greater than the first half. This work is related to employee engagement, change management, personal strategic planning, or personal and leadership development. Breadcrumb legacy is all about doing work that is meaningful on a daily basis.
Dr. Jann believes:
It is hard to be a good leader if you are not a good person.
Leadership development is about personal development.
The most important person to lead is yourself.