THE READING OF THE WILL
Doug Roman was not in the mood for stop-and-go traffic.
“Obnoxious music,” he snapped as he poked one of the buttons on the dash panel. The perfectly balanced sound of his custom audio system immediately replaced the cackling broadcast.
“Calm down, Doug,” he told himself. “You’ve got plenty of time.”
The reading of Nan’s will was set for ten o’clock; by noon he would be the new CEO of Mooseland Stoneware. His aunt Nan had been more than an intelligent woman and the influential founder and CEO of Moose-land, the most prestigious stoneware company in the world. She had also been the single most important person in his life.
Doug glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror.
“You’ve grown up to be a very handsome man,” she’d told him often. “But that isn’t why I love you.”
Nan had taken full responsibility for him from the moment her doorbell had rung that rainy night those thirty-some years ago. The officer standing on her porch had explained how two young lives had been extinguished on a winding country road, the tragic result of the driver swerving to avoid a deer. In the midst of shock and grief, Nan had experienced a wave of relief, knowing that her younger brother’s two-year-old son was sleeping safely in the guest room upstairs.
He had depended on her for everything. She was the one person in the world whom he had most loved and admired. And now she was gone. He knew that the reading of her will would mean that it was final.
Nan, why did you have to leave me?
He was late when he burst into the plush law offices of McCann & Pherson.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Roman,” Tommy McCann’s secretary said cheerfully as Doug breezed by her and pushed open the door to Tommy’s inner office. He took a seat in the corner of the room so he could observe his relatives and the three board members who had gathered for the reading of the will.
Without addressing Doug directly, Tommy glanced over his half-glasses and cleared his throat. “I believe we are all present now. We are here to read the last will and testament of Nannette Mae Roman, executed . . . ”
Nan had updated her will less than three months ago. Had she had a premonition that she was going to die? Why hadn’t she said anything to me?
Tommy read name after name followed by the gifts that Nan had painstakingly selected for each one. It was clear that Nan had been generous, too generous in Doug’s estimation, with his cousins and their families. She had also designated impressive gifts for some of her employees, friends, and favorite charities.
When is Tommy going to get to my name?
“I’m going to ask everyone but Doug and the board members to leave the room now.” He waited while Doug’s relatives filed out of the room, not one of them giving Doug any more than a side-glance.
When the door finally closed, Doug leaned forward in his chair. “All right, what’s going on?”
Tommy handed Doug a shallow rectangular box. “Your aunt asked me to give this to you.”
Inside the box was a bonded-leather book. There was no title, just the raised design of a fern in the upper right corner of the cover. Doug lifted the book out of the box. A letter was folded inside the book and the inside front cover contained an inscription in Nan’s familiar handwriting:
Dearest Doug,
As your journey reveals the truth, write it. As the truth reveals your legacy, live it.
Love,
Nan
Doug felt a distinct tightness in his chest. Without looking up, he unfolded the letter.
My dearest Doug,
As I write this, I can’t help but think how much I love you. I am so proud of the wonderful man you have become. All my remaining personal belongings shall be yours to do with as you wish. In addition, I bequeath to you all assets not otherwise cited in my will. Tommy will handle the necessary details.
Mooseland Stoneware, my most precious gift, is, of course, rightfully yours. You shall be the CEO and chairman six months from today with one stipulation—the board must vote unanimously that you have discovered the personal imperatives that will prepare you to live your leadership legacy. Doug, you and Mooseland mean so much to me. Though I suspect you are stunned by this letter, I could never want anything less than what is best for you and the company.
Therefore, it is my decision that you shall embark on a journey, one that will reveal unexplored gifts that you might not know you have. Be assured, my darling Doug, that wherever you find new truths about your legacy, I am cheering your discovery.
Every journey begins with one step. This card will help you get started.
May God bless you on your journey.
Love,
Nan
A business card with a picture of a fern embossed in the upper right corner and the name and address of a local garden center was clipped to the bottom of the page.
Doug looked up at Tommy. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes, I did. Nan and I were colleagues and friends for many years. She and I discussed her plans at length, though I must say this is happening much sooner than she thought it would. The board members have received copies of this letter and another letter of instruction from your aunt. The second letter explains their responsibility to render a decision six months from today regarding your competence to serve as Mooseland’s leader.”
What was Nan talking about? Am I destined to be forever burdened with her ideas about leadership? Any doubts as to my achievements and suitability to lead Mooseland could be dispelled with a glance at my resume. And what am I supposed to do with this business card?
“This has to be some kind of mistake. What is my leadership legacy?”
“No, Doug, there’s no mistake.”
Doug stared at Tommy, waiting for an explanation.
“Building a leadership legacy differs from building a resume. A person’s resume may include pages of experience and accomplishments. But none of that reflects that person’s suitability to serve as a leader.
“Nan believed that the legacy you live is the legacy you leave. Do you have any sense of your leadership legacy? She was saying that if you’re going to take the top leadership position of Mooseland, you must discover what it takes to live your leadership legacy. She knew what she was talking about. Trust her.”
Doug looked down at the letter and then up at Tommy. “This is nuts. All of you are completely out of your minds!”
With that, he got up and left.
After Doug’s abrupt departure, Tommy again addressed the board. “It is important that you understand the task Nan has set before you. Nan’s dream is that Doug will master three crucial imperatives of effective leadership and begin to live his leadership legacy. Within six months, you must be convinced that he is willing to Dare to Be a Person, Not a Position; Dare to Connect with People; and Dare to Drive the Dream.”