Once, this challenge was placed before the writer Ernest Hemingway: Write a story of six words. This is impossible, some thought, but no, not for Hemingway. And on the next morning, he wrote: "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." Scott Eblin adopted the same idea, a leader summarizing his leadership legacy: "It needs time and effort to condense the essence of what you seek to do into one brief idea, easy to remember."

Summarizing one's life in a few words is a formidable challenge. Your attempt to put a verbal souvenir in six words can be a useful exercise in self-analysis, especially if you applied the process to scrutinize your goals and results and review them. Are we achieving what we set out to achieve? Am I helping them and the team to succeed? Do your results withstand the test of time?

The most valuable question for any leader is: Do you leave the organization while it is in a better position than its position the day you entered it? Unfortunately, we discovered that the economic recession we are going through was caused partly by executive leaders who did not leave their organizations in a better state; even though they themselves left them with their pockets filled with more money. The six-word exercise for leaders acts as a kind of inspiration and ambition-stirring: How do I want people to remember me? If you are at the beginning or middle of your career path, you have time for change so that you can become the leader you can be. Think about the following three questions to help you in searching for an answer to the demand: How do you summarize your professional life in six words or less?

What makes me get out of my bed every morning? For some, the answer is: the opportunity to work with others on a project that has real meaning, or in other words: contributes to improving the quality of people's lives.

How can I help? We humans are wired to rush into work for the sake of goals larger than ourselves, and thus leaders achieve accomplishments through the efforts of others. Among the most important duties upon them is that they create suitable conditions for others to succeed.

What is my impact? Your direct authority over your team members is a fulcrum, but its impact may be limited. In organizations, especially in times of hardship where resources diminish, leaders need to apply their influence through effective persuasion rooted in trust. You can adopt the six-word souvenir exercise to suit other needs. For example: How can you describe a challenge facing your team in only six words? For example: A difficult task. Committed people. Continue working. Or: We need innovative ideas. Today before tomorrow. Help! You can even make a game out of it in your next staff meeting. Encourage those working with you to contribute their six words as a way to stir thinking about issues, challenges, and opportunities that you see before you.