THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Creating a Multigenerational Legacy
OF HARMONY AND PURPOSE By Lonnie Gienger
Lonnie Gienger is CEO of Wilkinson Corporation, a national real estate investment and operations platform that has transacted on over $2.4 billion of real estate creating strong impact results and investment returns, with a focus on turning apartments into centers for human flourishing. Lonnie’s passion is developing companies and families that create lasting positive impact on society. He’s been married for 36 years to his childhood sweetheart and their four adult children and spouses enjoy building various businesses together.
74
The most commonly understood definition of legacy is the amount of money left to heirs, however, few leaders would be satisfied with that definition alone. In our most honest moments, the legacy we really care about is less about the size of our great grandkids’ portfolios and more about the soundness of the principles by which they live their lives. It’s more about the level of harmony and shared purpose we pass down to our future generations. What’s more, we know that if these things are in place, the money is more likely to stay in the family and grow. Some families create significant wealth but do not share much harmony, clarity of vision, or purpose. Others create all that in
one generation only to lose it in the next. How do we create a legacy that will last through generations? I’m not the world’s greatest expert on this subject, however, I have diligently pursued this cause in my own family for many years. Although our family is far from perfect, we are regularly asked to share our journey on this subject at gatherings of family office leaders who are focused on creating enduring legacies. In this article I will introduce a process we’ve learned and implemented for discovering and passing on values that will promote and buttress success in a multigenerational way. I will demonstrate how to discern and develop treasured ideals to form a living, lasting legacy.
