Before I get too poetic up here on my pedestal; a note in the interests of full disclosure: my inspiration for this posting was none other than the new comic book flick Iron Man. With that out of the way and me totally exposed as the most immature meeting design professional in existence, let's have a look at this looming complexity and how it influences us all, and our meetings.
Me? I want a legacy. I want to live a life of significance and conscience. I want the world to know all about this great life I'm leading, and I want future generations to realize that the world they live in is a better place because of this one great individual. That's an ambitious (you could say over-ambitious, zealous, vain, maybe even delirious) and extreme perspective on the matter. But I don't think I'm the only one.
My interaction with legacy as a meeting designer or facilitator is typically a leader wishing to leave their mark on an organization before retiring. For many, the instinct is to dictate a direction that clearly bears their fingerprint. This is of course at the expense of collaboration, because the urge to have clear ownership is so strong.
I would try to frame a collaborative approach to an individual such as this as a part of the legacy. The true visionary worth remembering has vision enough to see the benefits of inclusiveness and collective intelligence. This is exceedingly difficult if you aren't aware of these motivations in advance of the meeting. Another reason why a thoughtful approach to meeting design that surfaces underlying motivations and interests is so important. Easier said than done though, obviously.
If you're interested: Iron Man did have a legacy with his "Tony Stark" identity. An epiphany of sorts gave him cause to shift what his war mongering legacy would be. The only epiphany I've had is that if I want to make my mark, I'd better get my ass in gear! Decades of waiting for my legacy to form itself hasn't been cutting it. I need a direction though. Maybe I'll start with a suit made of gold-titanium alloy and begin fighting crime. See where that takes me. I have it on good authority that I could pass as Iron Man, and have indeed been called him.
Any reactions to the broad theme of legacy? How does the innate urge that some people have to be remembered play out in your collaborative efforts? Better still, why does the urge exist?
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5 comments:
I'm wondering if such a need for legacy evolves from our drive to perpetuate the species. Human beings have an innate desire to populate the world with little versions of ourselves, and an innate desire to provide the necessities of life for our mini-usses, to ensure that our DNA will survive beyond our lifespan.
I believe that at some point, our rational brains applied this drive not only to our DNA, but other things that "make up who we are". We want the little usses to live on, as we cannot live forever ourselves. And leaving a legacy is the closest we can come to ensuring that our desires and beliefs will continue on as well.
And who doesn't believe that some of the things that they think, or have created, are worth keeping? I know that I take care to preserve the songs that I write, because frankly, I think that they have value and sound good.
Regardless, I think you'd make a much better Batman than Iron Man. This is partly because I like Batman better, and partly because, frankly, I think that Batman's budget has GOT to be a bit cheaper than Iron Man's. Just thinking of your pocketbook here...
I can't relate to your comment very well. Whether or not my urge to create a legacy is a spin-off of some desire to procreate, I guess I can't say for sure. I can't imagine that's the case though. Not only does siring children not interest me, but I definitely wouldn't want one in my likeness.
Also disagree that we are all proud of what we produce. That's a person by person thing. Vanity is subjective, and so is perceived value.
With the release of the upcoming Batman flick (The Dark Knight - July 18th), you can bet I'll try and make some ridiculous tie to meetings.
Also very likely that I will be called Batman by those who know best.
I have to believe that both of you are partly right. What I mean by that is that I do think that everyone has a desire to justify their existance to come to the end of their life and be able to say that their life meant something, and affected others. As such I think it is a personal choice in how we do it. Some of us feel that raising children and being good parents (hence enabeling them their children to have the confidence to go forth and forge their own legacy) and then others feel that the legacy they wish to leave reaches beyond family.
But hey, it all ties together those that choose to pursue legacy outside of having children are most likely those that were raised by exceptional parents who instilled in them the confidence and drive to do so!
Tara,
I assumed by your first sentence that you would carry on to say that I would make both an exceptional Iron Man and Batman.
I see your point and the "kid come legacy" mentality. I just still can't relate to it, and so have trouble believing that my affinity for a legacy is born of this mentality or disposition.
I think great people with great legacies have achieved what they have despite their parents in some cases.
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