LIVE BY DESIGN | When does legacy include proactively handing over the baton?

Helena Dolny and I co-founded Love Legacy Dignity (LLD) in 2019 with an agreement that she would lead, and I would support for the first five years. In early 2023 we further agreed that 29 February 2024, the end of the financial year, would be the day of the official handover.

Helena has dedicated thousands of hours and years of work to Love Legacy Dignity. She wrote her book Before Forever After. She developed the tens of the handouts we distribute when people do our bi-annual flagship programme, Live By Design – Finish Strong.

She accomplished other notable achievements – but LLD is her soul-fulfilling work. She has, however, been clear from the outset of our collaboration that legacy is not just about your lifetime work but also about ensuring that you cultivate others. Such individuals will not only continue your legacy but also further enhance the work initiated.

This year, I am proud to say, I officially assumed responsibility for leadership and managing the affairs of the organisation.

Creating legacy with succession planning and mentoring is a philosophical approach that I aspire to embody as my brand in my professional life. It makes such sense to me. In a couple of decades, I hope to approach elderhood with a clear lineage of people whose lives I have positively contributed to and who are ready to take over the reins.

This week, we celebrated Mandela Day. Revered globally for his transformative leadership and selfless dedication to the betterment of society, Nelson Mandela serves as an inspirational example of knowing when to step down from power. He was 75 at the time of his inauguration. After one term as president of South Africa, Mandela made the conscious decision to gracefully exit the political stage, paving the way for a new generation of leaders to continue the work he had started.

The lessons that Joe Biden could learn from Mandela’s decision are profound. By choosing to leave office after one term, Mandela cemented his legacy as a statesman committed to democracy, unity and progress. His departure at the right time ensured a smooth transition of power and allowed for fresh perspectives to shape the future of the nation.

The median age of USA presidents, at the time of their inauguration, is currently 55. I am therefore astounded as I watch the Republicans and Democrats in the USA both put forward elderly presidential candidates. Joe Biden is 81 and Donald Trump, 78.

What has happened in the last four years that neither party has created a younger tier of leadership from which a nominee can emerge? How can succession planning have failed so miserably? Isn’t it appalling that both elders pursued such a relentless quest for personal power that the parties’ succession planning was relegated?

In the past few weeks, the American presidency has been marred by controversy, confusion and concern. President Biden’s leadership capabilities have come under scrutiny. From policy mis-pronouncement to public gaffes, there are growing signs that President Biden may not be operating at his peak efficiency. Introducing the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, standing next to him, as President Putin can be dismissed as a slip of the tongue, after all, it happens to the best of us. However, referring to Vice-President Kamala Harris as Vice-President Trump suggests a deeper problem. Biden has been mixing up European leaders, creating confusion and concern about his grasp on a number of international issues.

As of Friday evening, with less than four months to election day on 5 November, the evidently unfit US president remained resolute in his decision to continue his presidential race. Even when figures like Nancy Pelosi are urging Biden to withdraw, he adamantly insists that he is the only person who can defeat Donald Trump.

He joins leaders like Robert Mugabe, Vladimir Putin and Paul Kagame who have also exemplified the belief that only they can lead.

In the wake of Mandela Day, as we commemorate the legacy of a great leader who knew when to pass the baton, it serves as a reminder that the highest office is a position of service rather than personal ambition. President Biden has the opportunity to reflect on Mandela’s wisdom and make a decision that prioritises the greater good over individual interests.

In contrast, President Biden’s reluctance to acknowledge his limitations and consider stepping down raises concerns. By clinging to power despite evident signs of decline, there is a risk of tarnishing his legacy and undermining the progress that could be achieved with new leadership at the helm.

Sadly, it seems possible that Biden will live on in peoples’ memories as that old man who failed to cultivate younger leaders, and who refused to step down when his visible frailties damaged the 2024 democratic election campaign. His legacy and dignity are both in danger.

I am wondering how this column might resonate for our readers. I am hoping it will prompt appropriate personal reflection. I was fortunate that Helena has always prized succession planning as a goal in every leadership role she has held.

This situation prompts reflection on the importance of legacy and knowing when to leave the highest office at the right time. Mandela Day, celebrated around the world this week, offers a poignant moment to draw parallels between the leadership decisions of historical figures like Nelson Mandela and the current predicament of President Biden.