what is your legacy?

You may not think a lot about the legacy you leave in the workplace, but it causes me to ask a lot of questions that I think are worthwhile. I try to look at it a very particular way. In the software industry, as in life, legacy has multiple meanings, and we’ll cover them all. Legacy can be:

• Something handed down.
• The impact that someone or something has on those who remain.
• Software (or hardware) that is old but difficult to replace as you need it.

In leadership legacy, you’re considering what people think, say, or remember about you when you are no longer in that position. If you own or run a business, this may be something you think about closer to retirement than when you’re starting out. It can help you (or force you) to make decisions with a certain mindset, and that’s where I think it gets dangerous.

Let’s talk a little about snowshoes.

If you’ve been experiencing this crazy weather recently, you may have needed some snowshoes. They’re most useful in deep snow – a broader foot connection with the snow across the length and breadth of the shoe helps you walk across the surface without sinking in. If there’s fresh powder, each step does leave an impression, and that’s what I equate legacy to from a personal leadership standpoint. It’s the mark you’ve made, that you’ve left behind. Those tracks in the snow are the path you’ve taken, and they show a trail of the choices you’ve made.

Much like culture in a business, you don’t wake up one day and say, “This is the culture we have.” Culture is built by the daily decisions you make. It’s a result of actions, not ideas. Legacy, too, is based on your actions.

production operations

Look up. Glance around you. As you sit or stand where you are currently and if you can see your shop floor, what do you see? What’s working well? Where are things moving smoothly, teams achieving their goals, jobs being completed on time, on budget, and as expected? This is a direct result of some of the choices that you’ve made.

What’s not working well? What’s still broken from last year? These, too, are based on choices you’ve made and I’m remembering a quote here from philosopher William James.

“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.”

The things that were broken last year will still be broken this year if you didn’t do something to solve them. Many businesses we talk to struggle with the decision to implement a digital system. It’s a big change, yes, but if you need to solve a problem, you need to embrace a change. Doing things the same way will not be a solution point for that issue. Change is. You can minimize it, delay it, or dive right in. The only way to solve it is to push through it to the other side.

paperless manufacturing

So, is paperless manufacturing in your future? Maybe. What do you need it to solve? Do you have problems with inventory, materials, people, machines, work, costs, labor, or scheduling? A digital product is critical in these cases – these things are very complex to solve without it. Getting a tool to help you gain control is leaning into your legacy. It’s giving you a different future, taking a step in a different direction, and learning what’s possible from that vantage point.

Take a walk with me this year and explore the opportunities for you with a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). There’s plenty to talk about. Next week, we’ll dive into legacy systems.