What Will Your Legacy Be?

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Last Friday, I had the opportunity to join Coach Matt Hackenberg on his podcast. He is a former college player and coach and has committed his time to supporting coaches and providing resources specifically for basketball coaches. Matt's podcast focus right now is on legacy coaching, and I was fortunate to be asked to appear on the show. I have placed the link to my appearance at the end of the newsletter if you would like to watch.

During our conversation he asked me a question that made me stop and think:

"What is your biggest accomplishment as a coach and what do you consider to be your legacy?"

Having coached for more than 30 years, there are a lot of directions I could have gone. There have been plenty of wins, a state championship, some awards, and other milestones along the way. Those are certainly meaningful and represent the hard work of many players, coaches, parents, and my family.

But when I thought about what mattered most, none of those things came to mind first.

Instead, I found myself thinking about the relationships and the people I have been able to support over the years.

I thought about former players who still reach out years after their playing days are over. I thought about the conversations that happened after practice, on bus rides, or during difficult moments in life. I thought about players who grew in confidence, learned to overcome adversity, and discovered strengths they didn't know they had.

If I've accomplished anything worth remembering, I hope it's that I helped some young people become better prepared for life after basketball.

The reality is that many of the most important things we do as coaches, teachers, parents, and leaders never show up on a “scoreboard”. You can't measure trust, confidence, character, resilience, or relationships. There isn't a statistic for helping someone through a difficult time. No championship banner recognizes the coach who helped a player believe in herself or the teacher who inspired a student to hang in there during tough times and pursue a dream.

Yet we all know those things often have the greatest impact.

In sports, we spend a lot of time measuring what is easy to count: points, rebounds, wins, losses, championships, and records. In life, we often do the same thing. We measure job titles, salaries, followers, awards, and accomplishments.

But some of the most meaningful contributions we make can't be measured at all.

They're found in the people we encourage, the relationships we build, and the lives we influence along the way.

As I reflected on Matt's question, I realized that my definition of success has changed over the years. Early in my career, success was often tied to results. Today, I see it differently.

Success is helping someone grow.

Success is making a positive impact on another person's life.

Success is leaving people better than you found them.

One of the ideas I discussed on the podcast was the importance of beginning with the end in mind. In other words, what do we hope people will say about us when our career is over, when we leave a position, or when our time here is ultimately done?

Will they talk about our accomplishments, awards, and achievements? I’m sure that will be discussed

But more often, I think they'll remember how we treated people. They'll remember whether we cared, whether we listened, whether we encouraged them, and whether we made a positive difference in their lives.

That challenge isn't just for coaches. It's for parents, teachers, business leaders, retirees, and anyone who interacts with other people. Every day, we're building our legacy through the choices we make and the way we treat those around us.

So maybe it's worth asking ourselves a simple question:

What do I want my legacy to be?

The answer to that question should influence how we spend our time, how we invest in others, and what we choose to prioritize each day.

Because when our careers, seasons, or leadership journeys eventually come to an end, I don't believe people will remember us most for what was on the scoreboard or how many “wins” we had.

They'll remember how we made them feel, how we treated them, and whether we helped them become a better version of themselves.

I probably think about legacy more now than ever as it is clear I have coached and lived more years than what I have ahead of me. However, I don’t think it is ever too early to think about our legacy and help that guide decisions we make in life and how we treat people.

And those are the things that matter most.

Have a great week!

Coach K