THE CORNERSTONE EAGLE

JUNE 2020 Edition

RETIREMENT & MY LEGACY… How old are you? Are you in your twenties, thirties, forties

maybe? Has the word ‘Retirement’ featured in your thoughts in your life so far?

Probably not. This may be due to a whole host of reasons. Retirement may seem too far away and a subject you may wish to avoid or worth your thinking about it now.

You could be far too busy in building career and family, as all your time and energy is needed to combat the aftermaths of Covid-19 pandemics.

You have little time to think about something that seems so far, far away.

This June edition of the Eagle, we ask you to push the ‘Pause’ button today for 10 minutes. Fast forward your clock to the time when you may actually be retiring. Your future clock for retirement may be when you are thirty-nine like Eli Manning, the quarterback at New York Giants who retires this year at the age of 39; or you may not yet reach retirement like my father-in-law who still works at age 95. However, may it be 39 or 95, retirement is a reality which we all have to face come the time, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Accept the fact that TIME is a fast mover. It flies by silently without one noticing it, and it waits for no-one.

So, would you like to leave behind a valuable Legacy which people would remember you by, and benefit everyone especially the younger generation through learning from it? Such a Legacy would live on after you. Its sweet fragrance of blessing and helping others would continue when you are no longer there.

The best time to build a meaningful and worthwhile Legacy is to start now. It is never too early to start, and too late if you wait for just before you retire. At the same time, the Legacy building can continue after retirement also. More later …

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Cornerstone International Group is a global executive search & leadership enhancement group. DO GOOD is what drives us at Cornerstone. Our global reach plus local experience & ownership mindset empowers our consultants to ask tough questions and this helps our clients to DO WELL around the world.

The Cornerstone Eagle newsletter is not a sales letter, but a tool to inspire you to maximize your personal and professional potential to be a Better Leader and a Better Person both at home and in business. We shall be your Faithful Companion / Coach / Mentor on your life and career journey, supporting you to discover yourself and offering good advice for ‘Healthier Business and Life’.

Best Wishes,

Simon Wan Chief Executive Cornerstone International Group Phone No.: +86 21 6474 7064 |Email: simon-wan@cornerstone-group.com

Legacy Thinking Beginning With the End in Mind

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People often think of a "legacy" in terms of money or property left in a will, or passed down through generations. But your legacy can also be a measure of your impact on other people: how they think, what they say, and what they do as a result of having known you.

With legacy thinking, you "start with the end in mind." You identify the long-term impact that you'd like to make, and then assess the changes that you need to make to reach that point. This enables you to work toward your legacy throughout your life, even after you retire, rather than considering it only in retrospect.

The Benefits of Legacy Thinking

The most important benefit of legacy thinking is that it can help to bring purpose to your work and place the actions you take today in a wider context. It will make you more focused, motivated, empowered, and satisfied.

Legacy thinking can also help you to be a positive role model, and to encourage others to consider their own legacies. In short, it can help you to fulfill your potential, and to become a better leader.

Let's look at the Five Steps that you can take to work toward it:

1. Start Now

It takes time to build a legacy, so start now! The sooner you begin, the more time you'll have to craft your legacy, and the longer you'll have to align your actions with your aims.

2. Reflect on the Difference You Want to Make Think deeply about the kind of difference that you want to make to people. Write it in a lighthearted, upbeat style, and include the things that you hope your colleagues would say about you. Or, try to answer questions such as:

What values, beliefs, behaviors, strengths, or traits would I like colleagues /people / customers to remember me for?

What knowledge/skills would I like to pass on?

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What behaviors do I encourage in other people?

What do the people around me need? How can I serve them?

3. Self-Check up Ask friends, family or colleagues to explain how your past behavior has affected them. This can help you to see yourself from a different perspective. Other people often see our strengths more clearly than we do ourselves.

Feedbacks can help you to "raise your sights" if you are too modest, or encourage you to rethink objectives

that may be out of reach. They can also tell you how closely your reflections truly reflect who you are.

4. Write a Legacy Statement Next, write a formal "legacy statement." This is your declaration of intent. It specifies your aspirations for the long-term impact that you want to have, and how you want to be remembered.

Begin by assessing the themes that you've identified through your reflections. Those that you adopt in your legacy statement should be aspirational, achievable, and reflect the things that matter most to you. It could be an essay, a list of single words, short phrases, short stories, pictures, pictograms, or diagrams.

5. Live Your Legacy To build a legacy, you need to start making a difference to people straight away. But, if the legacy that you're "seeding" now isn't the kind that you want to leave, be sure to start aligning your behavior with your aims. So, consider what may need to change about your leadership style, your behavior, your working methods, and so on.

Servant leaders leave the strongest legacies, so consider what you can do to serve those around you. Supporting people to achieve their goals is

one way. You can also do it by fostering a sense of community within your team, by mentoring your team members, or simply by providing inspiration.

6. Conduct "Legacy Audits" Even with careful planning, your legacy-building will probably remain fragile, initially at least, and it's easy to get blown off course by everyday demands and short-term crises.

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So, it's important to conduct occasional "legacy audits." Check in with the people around you – they can help you to judge your progress. Then, develop resilience and positive thinking to keep you on track.

7. Walk the Talk and Stay Simple

Your legacy does not have to be a grandiose concept, just focus on what matters to you most.

It can be the patience you show to children, who may in turn, grow to be patient; the kindness you show to strangers, who may then choose to put that forward; the strength you show in trying times, that may cause those around you to feel strong too; or your dedication in following your dreams, that may inspire others to chase their passions as well.

COULD THIS BE YOUR LEGACY STATEMENT?

I will approach my life in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. I will treat people with compassion, kindness, and fairness. I will approach each day with energy, creativity, and humor. I will not forget to relax. I will keep the dance of delight in my life. I will give time to XXX and YYY. My Family Role: I will conduct myself in family life in a manner that enriches our home by my presence. My family will be happy when I am home. I will be a leader to my extended family. My Work: I will influence people with example, in walking my talk, in principle-centered living.

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My Role as a Citizen of the World: By the Grace of God; Forgiveness; Empowering Others; Growing a Garden of Empowerment; Diversity of Race and Culture; I will celebrate life in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual areas. I will forgive myself more, and get on with doing good in all circumstances.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP LEGACY STATEMENT I want people to know and remember me as being a happy person. I want to be known as being a fair person who cared. I want others to say I gave forgiveness and showed grace in difficult situations. I want to be known as a transformational leader who encouraged others.

-No violence -No discrimination -Opportunities for all -Spend quality time with my family -Financial security for family and staffs that work for me. -I would feel blessed and thankful.

-I would give back as much as I could & forgiving others is the greatest gift I can give.

-Lead others with the heart to be an example not a dictator. -Enjoy life. Enjoy what I do as it shows and shall be contagious to all around me.

Food for Thought

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Our Editor, Kuang Fu at kuang-fu@cornerstone-group.com would love to hear from you if you have special thoughts to share.

About Cornerstone International Group Cornerstone International Group celebrates 30 years of talent management excellence. Founded in 1989

with 15 offices in Asia and some 60 offices worldwide. We provide a complete suite of talent solutions, from

finding future proof leaders to growing performance & maximizing career. A global member of the

Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), Cornerstone is recognized as having the

highest level of quality in the industry. Cornerstone is also named by Forbes as one of the Best Management

Consulting Firms in Executive Search in 2016 - 2019 and ranked by Hunt Scanlon as a top Global Groups in

2018 - 2020