# From the Stage: Legacy Doesn’t Matter
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From the stage Opening the EY National Tax Conference in Montreal, I described what I hear in boardrooms everywhere, from Disney to ESPN: "It is so overwhelming that increasingly legacy doesn't matter." Past markets, past product lines, past success: none of it guarantees the future. "The only thing that matters going forward is speed, agility, or ability to align and ingest all of these fast-paced trends." Why it matters Legacy is comforting. It's the brand, the client list, the way things have always worked. But in a fast-changing world it can become an anchor. The organizations that thrive use their legacy as a foundation, not a fortress, and keep asking what skills, structure and capabilities they'll need next. "I think the future is way bigger than we think." The takeaway What part of your legacy is holding you back? Ask what skills your team needs for the next five years, not the last five. Think big, start small, scale fast. Related: Case Study: EY Tax: The Real Tax Story Was Strategic Disruption. · Event Highlight: EY National Tax Conference, Montreal, Canada - The Reality of Disruptive Trends · Earlier: What World Class Leadership Looked Like in 2019: A Focus on Big Ideas, Transformation, Disruption, Velocity and Risk! (2019) · Earlier: Video: Highlight clip, EY Client Tax Conference : Dealing with the Disruptive Challenges of our Time (2019) · Professional Services & Associations From the Stage is a weekday series of short clips from more than 30 years of keynotes, and the leadership lessons that still matter.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/10/from-the-stage-legacy-doesnt-matter/