Leaving a legacy isn’t about pride or a burning desire to live forever. Rather, it is about leaving a meaningful track record of changed lives, encouraging change, and enabling the next generation to make a difference. In the context of multigenerational wealth, crafting a timeless legacy requires the patriarch or matriarch of the family to deliberately plan for the next generation early by focusing on critical issues that we will explore in this article.

Family legacy encompasses the preservation and transfer of financial and non-financial resources to future generations. These non-financial resources will include the family history, values, beliefs, attitude, communication styles, traditions, patterns, coping mechanisms, stories, and artifacts. These intangible assets play a crucial role in shaping our identities and the next generations.

Understanding the family legacy is crucial to preserve it, as it involves exploring history, discovering values, and passing it on to the next generation.

Maintaining the family values guarantees that they will be respected and preserved for upcoming generations and the ultimate goal of a timeless legacy. It strengthens ties between family members and acts as a narrative that helps subsequent generations realise their responsibility to uphold the family’s legacy.

Where legacy is not prioritised or deliberately managed, the family’s long term wealth is at risk.  Financially, it may result in the dissipation of wealth over time, diminishing the opportunities for future generations. Poorly defined estate plans may lead to family disputes and legal battles, causing emotional strain and eroding family relationships. Without a clear succession plan and effective communication about financial values and responsibilities, family members may struggle to navigate their roles as stewards of the legacy. Additionally, a lack of attention to philanthropic endeavors or social responsibility may diminish the family’s positive impact on society.
Here are practical steps to develop a family’s legacy.

Reflect on family’s history and traditions and embrace the unique story
Each family business has and owns a distinctive back story that makes it stand out. In the journey to achieving a timeless legacy, it is important to carry out a family discovery session with the help of a family office advisor in order to help document the family’s back story and driving force. This procedure helps the family discover the strength, Shared principles, fundamental values and knowledge they have. It helps in identifying the struggles and triumphs achieved which would then be used as the cornerstone of the family’s. The rich narrative that shapes the family identity and resonates with the future generations within the family is shaped by a combination of hard work, perseverance, honesty, kindness, shared principles, journeys, and challenges overcome.

Involve all family members in the legacy documentation process 
Legacy creation is not achieved in isolation; our relationships are crucial for creating lasting impact. Make sure that everyone in the family participates in the process of creating the legacy and decide on a medium for disseminating it. This can be in form of making a family tree, audio recordings, videos, video interviews, pictorial history books, or recipe book.

While some families choose to publish their memories in newsletters, others engage biographers to record their family challenges and lessons learned to serve as a roadmap for future generations to navigate their own trials and tribulations.

Plan for Succession
A carefully thought-out succession plan guarantees a seamless transfer while maintaining the continuation of your heritage by guaranteeing a seamless transfer and maintaining your timeless identity. Family Patriarchs and Matriarchs should prioritise formalising their succession plan at the earliest opportunity, preferably in their lifetime. It will be beneficial to test and refine some of the initiatives they desire to put in place to prevent future conflict.

Philanthropic Impact
Philanthropy is a strong tool in ensuring family legacy is preserved and carried on for generations. Many families deploy this critical tool as an avenue to establish strong impactful legacies that can stand the test of time. An example of families whose philanthropic efforts have left a lasting impact is the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company and Edsel Ford, Henry’s son, who became president of the Ford Motor Company later established the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation, focuses on strengthening democracy, improving economic opportunity, and advancing education, exemplifying the power of philanthropy in timeless legacy.

Include the Next Generation
Create a connection across generations by preparing the Next Generation via mentoring and guidance to inculcate a feeling of accountability and purpose in addition to encouraging and strengthening their leadership abilities guarantees a seamless transfer of duties within the family. Ensure their voice is heard and honored so that they feel a sense of belonging and participation in the family’s legacy.

Create a family governance structure
To create and preserve your values and legacy, A Family office advisor is a great resource to help moderate and facilitate a well-defined governance structure that provided clarity on individual roles or defined the accountabilities of the various stakeholders.

Once your family has developed its shared purpose, there are several types of governance structures, policies, protocols, agreements, and decision-making frameworks to consider as each family is unique hence a bespoke service will be required. Families who have established explicit norms and regulations are less prone to have disagreements or miscommunications. This is particularly crucial for families with intricate structures, like mixed families or families with several properties or enterprises.

Crafting a timeless brand identity is not just about building a successful business. It’s about creating a legacy that endures through the years. Achieving this is not without its challenges but the effort is crucial to making sure that the history and customs of your family are carried on to future generations. The family’s legacy becomes an important reference point to be treasured and safeguarded for future generations. A trusted family office advisor can help to facilitate and moderate these family discussions as well as guide them through the entire family legacy process.
Islamiyat is an Advisor at the Meristem Family Office.