Legacy: Perhaps the most important thing we leave behind. When I speak with the leaders of the Fortune Top 100 Companies, there is always a strong truth: The determined leaders, who are passionate about what they do, want to be remembered once they leave their post, for years and decades to come, for generations even. Yes, they are all extremely wealthy, but also wise enough to know that wealth alone does not leave a legacy. By “legacy,” I mean something worthwhile and meaningful to be remembered by. It is how we change things, influence people and leave our mark.

Bill Gates will always be remembered as the guy who brought the PC to our homes and changed the world. Moreover, through his extraordinary charitable foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation he will ALWAYS be remembered for the work he and Melinda are doing in conquering global diseases, helping education, fighting poverty and more. It is the power of wanting the same meaningful legacy which I think has drawn the much older Warren Buffett to give away a large sum of his wealth to this foundation and others are joining. That is strong legacy. Oh, yes, Bill is one of the richest people alive, but that frankly is not his legacy. Being rich is not having a legacy.

Steve Jobs will be remembered for having taken risks and changing the world of technology many times! When we think of Steve, we don’t think of his net worth, rather his undying passion, walking on stages of the world, holding the next revolutionary thing he believed would change the world. He gave people hope for making the impossible possible and inspired people to believe in their dreams, no matter how far fetched. That is legacy.

And the list goes on. Legacy is left by the footprint we make and leave behind and how people remember us for the difference we’ve made in the world! How we influence those around us and bring about change through courage, belief and passion. This happens when we don’t give up, and are determined to leave our mark. Invariably, in the process mistakes are made. Some feel that dedicated a building is leaving a legacy. Is it? Not to me.

When I think of the St. Jude Foundation, helping cancer patients for the last many decades free of charge, and saving lives, I see Danny Thomas and his daughter Marlo. That is legacy. That is game changing. Jerry Lewis will always be remembered for what he has done and is doing for the MDA foundation – saving lives, advancing science and research.

And the many thousands of people who in their own way are choosing to make a statement, take risks, focus on something to leave behind which is impactful and game changing.

In the tech world, there is an opportunity to develop things that will always be remembered. I was fortunate enough to spend the first 12 years of my career at BBN Bolt Beranek and Newman. BBN thrived for 50 years until the late 1990’s. Many of today’s defining innovation and technologies, including the Internet (based on the ARPANET project BBN did for the military) changed the world to what it is today. Three MIT professors who were passionate about the art of the impossible, created a legacy which will never be forgotten. I was recently at one of the IIT campuses in Mumbai and a grad student in CS was delighted to know that I was from BBN. Clearly BBN is not around any longer, and he was a young student, but its legacy will live on. The footprint is huge!

Legacy is what many of the CEOs of the large companies want to leave behind. Perhaps the first step is thinking about the meaningful risk/bet you are going to take, thinking through the impact and the investment required. Just running high revenue companies does not create a legacy. As a leader whether your desire is to leave a legacy by virtue of your company, or your not-for-profit work, take the large bets, believe in the risk and cherish the reward, even if it takes a while to achieve. Be passionate! Leave your mark.

And everyone can leave a legacy…

For me, when I started my company ConnecTerra, I wanted to change the world of barcodes with RFID, allowing us to have immediate access to any/all information in real time. In 2001, no one believed we could do it, RFIDs were not commercially available and there was a huge amount of resistance. The chance of failure was huge. Five years later, over 1000 of the world’s largest companies not only believed that this was possible (and today over 3000 companies), are adopting the standards which we introduced. Today, when I see our technology in action, it feels awesome. With my book ProVoke, I hope my legacy will be to be remembered as the one who worked hard to bring disruption and innovation into large companies, and enable our enormous talent to be more innovative. And also, to focus on innovation on a global not local level. This is work in progress, but with every obstacle I meet around the world, my resolve is heightened to do more. Ways to go until I leave a footprint but delighted to be on the journey with a lot to do ahead.

I want to end this blog by remembering my dearest friend Dr. Barry Blumberg. Barry was Nobel Prize recipient for the Hepatitis B virus, ran the Cancer Chase Medical Center in Philadelphia, was the head of Oxford University, top scientist at NASA, and the head of the American Philosophical Society , and occupied the desk that Benjamin Franklin had sat in as the first President of the American Philosophical Society. Barry has left many legacies and footprints, that would fill many books. He saved millions of lives and much more. But as a mentor to myself and many, the biggest legacy was his diverse talent, his hunger for science and knowledge, his humility and his passion to make a difference. We lost Barry 2 years ago but his legacy will live forever. He died at the age of 85, while delivering a lecture at NASA , with a smile on his face and the same passion which he brought to the world for decades. To me, that is true definition of legacy.

Imagine a world, where not just a few but millions work towards leaving a legacy. Imagine the impossible becomes possible. Now imagine what you want your legacy to be and make it happen. What is your footprint?

This blog is dedicated to Dr. Barry Blumberg- an extraordinary human being who inspires me every day.

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc