A few years ago, I stood with my son gazing up at the soaring spires of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família. As I learned about Antoni Gaudí’s remarkable vision and the generations of craftsmen who carried it forward, I was deeply challenged.
A man of faith who lived to honor Christ, Gaudi was a man who spent the last decade of his life not just building a cathedral, but intentionally creating a legacy that would outlive him by centuries.
“There is no success without a successor,” John Maxwell reminds us. Gaudí embodied this truth in a way few do.
When he was struck and killed by a streetcar at age 76, he left behind more than just architectural plans. He had created an entire “grammar of design” - a comprehensive system that would allow future generations to complete his masterpiece.
This reminds me of Robert, whose story I share in my book “Succession Planning for Impact.” Unlike Gaudí, Robert waited until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer to think about legacy.
“Money means nothing,” he told me when his days were short. “How my children and grandchildren will remember me is everything.”
“But the one thing I need is the one thing I have so little of, time.”
I am dreaming of better things for you!
Gaudí’s approach offers us three powerful lessons about succession planning:
Gaudí knew he would never see the Sagrada Família completed. Yet today, nearly 100 years after his death, five million visitors annually pay to visit his unfinished masterpiece. He understood what many business leaders forget: true legacy isn’t about completion - it’s about creating something that others can carry forward.
Just as Gaudí developed a comprehensive architectural code that would guide future generations, successful succession planning requires creating systems that will outlast us. As Benjamin Franklin warned, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
The most remarkable aspect of the Sagrada Família’s story is how generation after generation of craftsmen have dedicated their careers to realizing someone else’s vision. This only happens when leaders invest deeply in developing their successors.
The Challenge for Today’s Leaders
What if, like Gaudí, we viewed our role not as the indispensable center, but as the architect of a legacy that others will complete?
The Sagrada Família stands today as both a magnificent structure and a powerful metaphor. It reminds us that our greatest achievements might not be the things we complete ourselves, but the visions we pass on to others to complete.
Are you building your business like Gaudí built his cathedral - with the understanding that your greatest contribution might be creating something that others will finish? Or are you, like Robert, waiting until it’s too late to establish your legacy?
The parallels to the Seven Steps To Succession Planning for Impact are striking. Think through the following story and consider my steps:
Confront your fears about succession planning
Establish your succession planning team
Define your impact
Define your niche
Develop leaders in your team
Pass the baton to your successor
Finish well
Which steps illustrate your most needed next step in succession planning?
I believe in you! Leave a legacy!
Harry T. Jones
P.S. Remember: Regrets result from neglecting what matters most. Don’t wait until tomorrow to plan your legacy. Get an instant succession planning team by joining the next Succession Planning for Impact Mastermind. It all starts with a conversation. Email me at harryt@cultivatingimpact.biz
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