The 200 Year Question

It was our first meeting, but we became friends right away. He was a successful CEO – and came across as one of those nice guys you want to get to know better. We got talking about our career journeys. The highs and the lows and all the memories in between. He then told me about a job interview that well, changed his thinking. And his life. 

Some years ago, he was interviewing for a senior position in finance. The interview with the CFO was going well. My friend was quite warming up to his likely future boss – who also made no secret of his liking for his future colleague. And then the CFO popped that rather predictable question. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” That’s a popular interview question, one I am guessing you too have had to answer in some interview, somewhere. 

It’s a question he was prepared for, but as would befit a senior finance professional, he thought for a moment before replying “Well, I’d like to be the CFO in five years.” 

“And where do you see yourself in ten years?” asked the CFO. My friend began to think about what successful CFOs hope to be after five years, and the answer presented itself. “I’d like to be the CEO!” he said. 

The CFO was back with his next question. Where do you see yourself in 30 years? “I am hoping I will still be alive”, he replied with a laugh. And the CFO nodded in agreement and then asked: “Where do you see yourself 200 years from now?” 

“I won’t be alive,” said my friend.  

And the CFO said, so what? There are people who are 2000 years old – they may not be alive, but they are 2000 years old. Like Ashoka and Alexander. And Buddha and Socrates. They are all more than 2000 years old. They are not alive. But we still remember them, don’t we?  

What a thought. You may not be alive when you are 200, but you will be 200 years old. The message from the CFO was clear, even if he didn’t spell it out. It got my friend thinking. And as he told me about that interview question from all those years ago, it got me thinking too.  

How will we be remembered when we are dead and gone? What are we doing today that will outlive us? What would our legacies be? Most of us have an answer to the question about where we would like to be in five years or ten years. But 200 years? I don’t think any of us thinks about that. Maybe we should. 

In our own small ways, each of us has an opportunity to make a difference. To the people we spend time with. And to the world we live in. Do something that people will remember. Leave an imprint that will outlive you. Thinking in a five or ten-year time frame makes us think incrementally. A promotion.  A bigger title, maybe a bigger car too. But when you ask yourself the 200-year question, it changes your perspective. Jobs and bank balances seem to fade into irrelevance. The 200-year question makes you strive for significance. Not success. 

So where do you see yourself 200 years from now? No matter what your answer is, remember this. Your time starts now.