Leadership isn’t just about what you achieve while you’re in the role. It’s about what happens after you’ve gone.
That’s the quiet, enduring test few talk about – and the one that, as Peter Knight highlights in a recent episode of On the Up, defines great leadership more than any KPI ever could. It’s not just about the growth charts under your watch, or the headlines you made. It’s what continues to grow once your name is no longer at the top.
So, what does it take to pass the legacy test? Let’s break it down.
Peter shares a powerful observation: the mark of great leadership is not just in the results you drive – it’s in the people, processes, and principles you leave behind. In his early career at Barratt Homes, he recalls a “class of ’82” – a cohort of young talent who went on to lead and innovate well beyond that initial company.
“That’s the legacy Barratt had,” he reflects. “They nurtured people who didn’t just deliver while they were there – they continued to grow long after.”
Leadership often feels most visible at the front of the room. But Peter reminds us that the real test comes in the quieter moments – when you’re no longer present, but your decisions, culture, and example still shape outcomes.
Ask yourself:
If yes, you’re not just managing. You’re leading in the truest sense.
The best leaders don’t create dependence. They empower others to lead, to question, to grow, and eventually take the reins themselves.
Peter draws a distinction between leaders who thrive on control and those who build capability. “You’ve got to let go,” he says – even if that means people do things differently than you would.
This means resisting the instinct to centralise every decision. True legacy lies in developing others so they don’t need you – but still value what you taught them.
Another key to legacy? Clarity of strategy that lives beyond your voice. Peter references the “POST” model: Purpose, Objective, Strategy, and Tactics. When a business is built on this kind of foundation, the leader doesn’t have to hold everything together.
“You can’t supervise every method and still expect others to feel real responsibility,” Peter says.
When strategy is simple, purpose-driven, and widely understood, your team can stay aligned – whether you’re in the room or not.
Perhaps the most overlooked part of legacy is trajectory. Are you setting your organisation up for what’s next? Or just doubling down on what already works?
Peter notes that leaders who lose their “hunger” – their drive to improve, explore and adapt – often stop creating space for others to innovate too. Without curiosity at the top, progress quietly stalls. Legacy becomes nostalgia.
The legacy test doesn’t come with instant feedback. But there are signs:
If that sounds like your world, you’re not just building a business. You’re building something that lasts.
The most powerful mark of leadership isn’t the title, the tenure, or the applause.
It’s the systems that keep running, the culture that keeps breathing, and the people who keep growing – because of what you stood for, not just what you oversaw.
As Peter put it: “When the business continues to grow and deliver on its purpose after you’ve left – that’s when you know.”
Listen now to the full episode with Peter Knight as he reveals more insights about building lasting leadership capabilities and creating organisations that can thrive beyond any individual leader.
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