Legacy Mode – Show Up for the Ones Coming Behind You (Part 4 of 4)

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In this final chapter of the Earned, Not Given series, B-Hawk gets personal and purposeful.

This isn’t just about professional success.
It’s about what we build that lives on after us, the blueprints, the mentorship, the mission.

It’s about showing up with intention for those who are coming behind you.

Topics Covered:

• What it means to truly operate in Legacy Mode
• How mentorship multiplies your impact
• The difference between ego and legacy
• Living your influence in real time — not just looking back on it

This episode calls you to your next step: Give it back. Build something that outlives you.

Tune in and step fully into Legacy Mode.

Big thanks to our podcast partners: College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. BICKFORD, INC., UptimeServices, PM BIOMEDICAL AND GMC Healthcare Solutions. Your support keeps the HTM mission alive! 

#EarnedNotGiven #LegacyMode #Mentorship #Leadership #HTM #NextGenHTM #BhawkNetwork

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
You know what I've come to understand.
Legacy isn't something we writein our wills.
It's something we build in ourwork.
It's not just what you leaveafter you go.
It's what people can carrybecause you showed up while you
were still here.
Legacy mode isn't about beingfamous.

(00:26):
It's about being faithful.
If the culture improves, if thedepartment runs better, if the
people around you feel seen,supported and stronger because
you were present, that's legacy.
Let's be honest, some folksclock in for 30 years and leave

(00:49):
no fingerprints.
They were there, but theyweren't there.
And that's the difference.
When you're in legacy mode, youdon't show up for the title,
you show up for thetransformation.
Let me walk you throughsomething.

(01:10):
You skipped the line and, let'sbe real, you probably felt
guilty about it.
You didn't follow thetraditional path.
You didn't get all the degrees.
Maybe you even had some folkswhisper that you didn't deserve
it.
But listen, you didn't skippreparation.

(01:33):
You didn't wait for permission.
You moved when others hesitated.
That's fate, that's obedience.
Obedience, that's boldness.
You earned that.
Then you got cleared fortakeoff.
Everything in.

(01:54):
You said stay small, play safe.
But someone or something toldyou you're built for this.
And so you took off.
Not because everything wasperfect, or something told you
you're built for this.
And so you took off, notbecause everything was perfect,
but because staying groundedwould have been disobedience.
You were scared, but you wentanyway.

(02:18):
You earned that.
Then you owned your assignment.
You realized that your jobwasn't just a paycheck, it was a
platform.
You stopped disqualifyingyourself and started delivering
value.
You quit comparing and startedcarrying, and somewhere along

(02:42):
the way you realized this isn'tabout climbing ladders, it's
about building bridges.
Now you're here Legacy mode.
Not everybody gets here, becauselegacy mode isn't automatic,

(03:07):
it's intentional.
It's when you look around andsay this can't end with me.
It's when you stop hoardingwisdom like it's retirement
savings and start sharing itlike it's seeds, because the
next generation doesn't needanother untouchable expert.

(03:27):
They need you, the real you,the one with the scarred
knuckles, the early mistakes,the humble lessons.
The early mistakes, the humblelessons.
They need you to teach, towrite it down, to mentor, to
record it, to give away.
What cost you something tolearn.

(03:48):
Let me tell you what LegacyMode looks like in real life.
Just this week I got word thattwo young men I mentored, one
from Philadelphia and one fromNew Orleans.
Both of them had never evenheard of the HTM industry.
But they went to school, stayedfocused, earned their degrees

(04:09):
and both received job offers onthe exact same day.
That's not luck, that's legacy.
That's not luck, that's legacy.
And if that wasn't enough, myown son followed in my footsteps
.
Same field, same mission,different fire.

(04:29):
And just recently my son wasselected by Tech Nation as one
of their 40 under 40.
Yes, I'm in legacy mode.
Don't get it twisted.
I'm also getting to enjoy thatlegacy.
That's legacy mode at its best,because this isn't just theory.
For me, this is testimony,because if your impact dies with

(04:51):
you, it wasn't legacy, it wasego.
Let me say it this way If yourlife is all about you, then your
legacy will end with you.
But if your life is aboutothers, about lifting, equipping
, serving, building, your legacywill echo.

(05:13):
Legacy mode says I'm not justhere to perform, I'm here to
prepare others to thrive longafter I'm gone.
And here's the real kickerLegacy Mode starts now.
You don't need 20 years in thegame to lead with purpose.

(05:35):
You don't need a fancy title toleave a trail.
All you need is the willingnessto say let me make this better
for the one coming behind me.
A few questions I want to leaveyou with today.
Who's coming behind you?

(05:57):
Do they have what you didn't do?
They know what you wish someonewould have told you?
Do they see someone showing upon purpose?
Let me say this as clear as Ican you skipped the line, you
got cleared for takeoff, youowned your assignment and now

(06:22):
it's time Legacy mode.
Don't just finish strong,finish with a blueprint in your
hand and someone walking behindyou, because what you've built
is not just for you.
Let me say that one more time,because what you built, it's not

(06:45):
for you, man.
It's earned, not given.
But when you're in legacy mode,you give it away anyway, unseen
but unstoppable.
You give it away anyway, unseen, but unstoppable.