How Joe Mathews Defines Legacy

by Joe Mathews, CEO of Franchise Performance Group (FPG)

My business partner and friend, Harry Loyle, passed away suddenly in December. Harry was one of those rare guys who impacts people on a DNA level, altering who they are, how they think and how they conduct business. Everyone who knows Harry has a “Harry” story - a meaningful and sticky conversation that they never will forget. Since his passing, Harry’s wife’s and business partners’ phones have been burning up by people feeling the need to share some story about how Harry left an indelible mark on their lives and careers.

Almost 30 years ago, when Harry and I first met, I was a franchise salesperson for Motophoto and Harry was an area developer and board member. He shared with me his business philosophy which always stuck with me. He said, “Always leaving the campground better than you found it.” As a camper, I could immediately relate. There is no way for the next camper to know I just left the campsite before them. What Harry implied with the metaphor was, “Do good, leave people and things better off than you found them, and don’t worry about getting any credit.” Over the last 20 years, we’ve incorporated this idea into FPG. One of our core values is “create more value than you extract in price.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines “legacy” as “a gift, or something left behind by a predecessor.”

While a vision statement defines what a company aspires or intends to be known for in the present or future, legacy describes how much of the vision is actualized. Legacy is what a person, company or brand known for or counted on from the past. I once watched a Western movie where an old Native American chief said, “A man faces two deaths. The first is when he breathes his last. The second is when no one again mentions his name.” To this old man, legacy is life. Harry left a legacy of honesty, intelligence, empathy and fair dealing. In that respect Harry lives.

When I think of my legacy, I tend to break it into three parts. First is my career. I ask, “Am I trying my hardest and doing enough?” The second relates to my character and personal development. “Am I being enough?” The last relates to my relationship with my Creator. “What difference am I making a difference with the life, talents and resources God has given me?”

What I learned from my interactions with Harry was that leaving the right kind of legacy involves consistency, intention and design. I’ve gotten into the practice of starting my day out with my Creator. I ask questions such as, “Who do I need to forgive or ask forgiveness of?” I plan those conversations into the day. I ask, “Where am I afraid? Where am I acting small?” My God is a God of peace, not fear; God of righteous plans, not of chaos. I surrender those fears and concerns before I make my first call or take on my first task. Then I move to my goals and keep them front of mind for the day. I check my calendar, making sure my daily actions are aligned with these objectives. Then, I read a list of what I value to make sure I am acting consistently with who I say I want to be in this world. Then I check back in with my Heavenly Father asking His will and not my will be done. At night, before I sleep, I try to remember whatever happened that day was exactly what God intended for me.

When you think of people you know, your mind will go to your most impactful interactions, positive or negative. You won’t remember all interactions. In other words, legacy is made or lost in a moment in time. Those who seem to leave the most lasting legacies are intentional and consistent, meticulously living and working one day at a time.

“Those who seem to leave the most lasting legacies are intentional and consistent, meticulously living and working one day at a time.

To learn more about Joe Mathews, please visit https://franchiseperformancegroup. com/