Your Values-Based Legacy: Making a Difference at Every Age and Phase of life
Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr.
Wiley (November 2024)
“How Will You Measure Your Life?” Clayton M. Christensen
I was again reminded of Christenasen’s question as I began to read Your Values-Based Legaqcy. Note the reference to “Your” in its title. Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr. thus immediately establishes a direct and personal rapport with his reader (i.e. you) as he explains HOW to build a values-based legacy wherever you may be, “within your own network, community, and even your own neighborhood, [where] there are people and projects that are making a difference. You don’t have to travel the world. You can start, literally, in your own backyard. The key word, though, is start.”
The material in this book is carefully organized within three Parts. First, in Chapters 1 and 2, “we explore our earliest influences, those who came before us and set an example.” They include parents and grandparents, teachers, coaches, clergy, community members, and others who have provided us with life lessons. Next, in Chapters 3-6, Kraemer celebrates “the significance of small.” That is, actions, comments. gestures, and “baby steps” that may seem insignificant but can have great impact and value. In this context, I am reminded of a popular song years ago, “Little Things Mean a Lot.” Then in Part Three, Chapters 7-9, “we see just how impactful a legacy can be: crossing borders, spanning continents, and bringing together generations.” For example, Kraemer cites numerous organizations and individuals who have established what could be viewed as institutional legacies with a global (collective) organization footprint left by countless feet throughout generational involvement.
These are among the passages that caught my eye, also listed to suggest the nature and scope of Kraemer’s coverage:
o Introduction: A Vakue-Based Journey (Pages xiii-xix)
o Raul Raymundo: The Resurrection Project (16-22)
o Self-Reflection: The Three Cs of our Past to Present (25-26)
o The First C: Connections (32-36)
o The Second C: Community (36-41)
o The Third C: Choices (41-45)
o “Within Our Circle of Influence” (51-61)
o An Executive’s “Other Job” (65-68)
o KEHTI: Bringing Climate Resilience To Small Farmers in Africa (85-91)
o Cfistophder [Wolf’s] Story (101-107)
o A Lasting Legacy (114-116)
o MACEDINIA2025: ForLove of the Homeland (129-135)
o SHIRI STUDIO & SERVICE: SUPPORT, HONOR, RESPECT, INSPIRE (135-141)
o A GLOBAL FOOTPRINT (145-147)
o PAULA WANJALA; FROM LOCAL FARMER TO SENIOR LEADER (155-162)
o Pacific Spirit Foundation: Breaking Down Barriers in the Community (167-1711
o The Torch Is Passed (177-182
o Learning What They Live(184-185
o Nature and Nurture (188-192)
o Final Thoughts (202-203)
It is imperative to keep these observations from Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr. in mind as you work your way through his lively and eloquent narrative.
Building a legacy is all about “the conscious choices you are making in your life right now. It may be a genuine commitment to show respect and kindness to others in your daily interactions with colleagues, friends, family members — or the next person you see at the coffee shop or the grocery store…It’s also imperative to understand what legacy is not. It has nothing to do with building your résumé. A legacy isn’t about your image, your network, or your net worth. There’s nothing for you to gain — except, of course, personal satisfaction.”
He also notes that a values-based legacy can have “a multiplier effect of good and grace. By what you say and do, the commitments you make, and the convictions you hold, your desire to live a values-based life will be ome a values-based legacy — and one that will last far your beyond lifetime!”
The choice is yours.
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Here are two other suggestions while you are reading Your Values-Based Legaqcy: First, highlight key passages. Also, perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines).
These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.