The Leadership Wake can be defined as the consequence of a leader, whether it be good or bad. I first learned of “the Wake” concept while attending a leadership course offered by VEL Institute where we studied the book Integrity by Dr. Henry Cloud.

The wake concept can be understood best by thinking of a boat as it moves through the water. Behind every boat there is a wake – its ripple effect in the water. The wake is felt by everything it comes into contact with. This wake concept also applies to every person as they move through the lives of others.

The wakes that people leave behind them can vary in size and effect – some cataclysmic, some good and some bad, but no matter the shape or size, the wake is inevitable.

Leaders leave the largest and most impactful wakes. Some wakes have a ripple effect that last throughout time. Notable leaders such as: Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie have left wakes that can still be felt today.

Let’s take the least known of the leaders mentioned, Andrew Carnegie. He immigrated to the United States from Scotland at a young age and grew up as the son of a preacher. He grew up without much, but Andrew made a decision to learn and work hard at an early age. He began his working life as a letter courier, then moved on to a career in the railroad, and finally into steel manufacturing.

Andrew Carnegie built the company that is known today as U.S. Steel, and at the age of 66 in 1901 he sold it to J.P. Morgan for 480 million (14.1 billion in 2017 dollars).

From 1900 – 1919 Carnegie became one of the greatest philanthropists to date. He effectively educated a generation by building 2,509 public libraries. Carnegie gave $2 million to establish the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now named Carnegie Mellon University. He built Carnegie Hall and also funded the construction of 7,000 church organs.

This is just a small portion of Carnegie’s wake. In total, he amassed and gave away 76.9 billion in today’s dollars.

Why did he do this? Its because he believed some of the famous words he left behind,

“The man who dies rich…dies disgraced.”    

Carnegie believed that people were the most important element of his business. He valued human potential, so he built a library in his steel factory so that his people could educate themselves while employed. When speaking of his ideas and the value he placed on people and leadership development, he commented,

“You develop people the same way you mine gold. When you mine gold, you have to move tons of dirt to find one ounce of gold. But you don’t go in there looking for the dirt. You go in there looking for the gold.”

When Carnegie found someone who was willing to work hard and devote themselves to personal development, he invested in them through leadership opportunities. Over the course of his life’s work, Carnegie produced 43 millionaires (28 million in today’s dollars).

What does this have to do with leadership? As leaders, we must know that we are leaving a wake behind us. The wake that we leave has the capability of crushing people or raising them up to new heights, and as leaders, we get to choose the kind of wake we leave behind.

Remember, leaders leave the most impactful wakes. Andrew Carnegie left a massive wake. How will the wake that you leave behind impact others?

“The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.” Andrew Carnegie

To learn more about creating a powerful wake, listen to the VEL Institute podcast with Gordy Bunch, a man who has helped create 200 millionaires and has made a significant wake in the lives of others.

This Insight was written by Terry Weaver, Co-founder and Executive Director of VEL Institute.

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