Building an organizational legacy: four key principles for responsible leadership

Abstract

Purpose

In response to the prevalent emphasis on short-term leadership, this article introduces a leadership framework that emphasizes four essential principles. These principles are aimed at promoting long-term effectiveness and sustainability in organizations centered on responsible leadership. These principles include developing long-term orientation, embracing organizational diversity, demonstrating emotional intelligence, and prioritizing ethical decision-making. These responsible leadership principles play a critical role in fostering long-term organizational success.

Design/methodology/approach

This article presents a conceptual framework that organizes and structures the key concepts, ideas, and theories regarding organizational effectiveness and long term viability.

Findings

For a responsible leader to establish a lasting social legacy and foster sustainable development, it is crucial for them to cultivate a robust and viable corporate culture, built around these four leadership principles. These principles bear witness to the fact that true evidence of sustainable leadership achievement emerges only after the leader's departure. Responsible leaders, through their track record, leave behind a social legacy by nurturing long-term organizational viability. To ensure a positive and enduring legacy beyond their leadership tenure, leaders can adopt these five principles that provide a foundation for the organization to thrive well into the future.

Originality/value

In the modern context, many leaders hesitate to make tough decisions due to the prevailing focus on immediate results. Followers, stakeholders, and investors prioritize quick responses, often at the expense of long-term considerations. However, by prioritizing the implementation of these four principles, leaders can overcome the allure of immediate gratification and instead, shift their focus toward long-term success measured in years, not just months. In leadership, the legacy left behind holds greater significance than we often realize, and recognizing this importance is crucial for the future prosperity of our organizations.

Citation

Welch, J. (2024), "Building an organizational legacy: four key principles for responsible leadership", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-10-2023-0228