Is leadership measured by legacy?

Recently I attended the funeral of Bob Schmal, a volunteer of our local United Way, a longtime advocate and community activist in our community of Modesto. Bob was the chair of a volunteer committee at United Way where I served as the United Way representative.

Bob was an amazing man who left a legacy of community advocacy and activism that hasn’t been seen for many years in our community.

Even though I only watched two of his 13 years of work in our community, I was able to develop a great relationship with Bob. We shared a passion for sports, a love of golf, and a desire to make a difference in our community.

While attending his funeral, there were many community leaders present. Not only where they present, but most of them spoke words about Bob.

By my estimate, here’s a list of local dignitaries I spotted at his funeral:

• Former Chief of Police
• Current Chief of Police
• Fire Chief
• County Chief Sheriff
• City Mayor
• Councilwoman
• County Supervisor
• District Attorney

In addition to these dignitaries who attended and spoke at his funeral, there were 300 other people who all took three hours out of their day on a Friday to honor and remember him.

This stirred my thinking. Is our leadership defined by our legacy? Is the legacy we leave behind the true measure of our leadership?

Only a man with true leadership making a difference would have been able to attract that level of people to attend his funeral.

I’ve learned that great leaders attract good leaders, and exceptional leaders attract great leaders. And there were many great leaders at Bob’s funeral on Friday.