29 Oct The Enduring Cathedral of Legacy: Building Across Generations
By: Mike Schmitt, Rubra Group
July 7, 2025
In Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, the construction of a cathedral becomes the anchor for a sweeping story of vision, struggle, and transformation. This is one of my favorite books to read when I have a little time to lose myself in a story. Ken Follett is a master storyteller. Set in a time when feudal systems ruled and trade was barely emerging, the cathedral represents more than architecture. It symbolizes what happens when generations commit themselves to a cause greater than personal survival or individual ambition. It becomes a legacy—crafted brick by brick with purpose and perseverance.
As I reflect on the families I’ve had the privilege to serve, I see a striking parallel. The cathedral they are building is not made of stone. It is made of values, businesses, traditions, and bonds that stretch across time. Like the builders in Follett’s world, today’s family enterprises are choosing to be architects of continuity in a culture obsessed with speed.
What does it mean to build something that lasts a hundred years? It starts with a vision that transcends profit. A multi-generational family enterprise succeeds not just because it produces income, but because it carries meaning. It becomes a way of doing things. A set of principles that govern how people lead, love, and labor.
In our book Family Fortune, we ask a critical question: “What will your family’s legacy be in 100 years?” Imagine your descendants gathered a century from now. Will they speak proudly of your enterprise, your values, your resilience? Or will your story have faded into a footnote?
The families that thrive across generations understand something essential. Wealth is not just capital. It is culture. It is education. It is unity and a shared sense of purpose. These families see themselves not as owners, but as stewards. Their businesses are not just economic vehicles—they are the cathedrals of their time.
Like the master builders in The Pillars of the Earth, they face setbacks. Markets change. Conflicts arise. Leadership transitions are never easy. But they keep building. Not recklessly. Strategically. They revisit their foundation. They strengthen the family bonds that hold everything together. They plan succession as carefully as an architect plans a spire.
One of the most profound transformations happening today is the shift from first-generation builders to third and fourth-generation stewards. The first generation often builds from scarcity, driven by survival. The second expands, often caught between honoring tradition and innovating for growth. The third must navigate complex dynamics of identity, ownership, and purpose. And the fourth? If prepared well, they become the keepers of a new renaissance.
These transitions are not accidental. They are intentional. Families that make it create councils. They hold meetings that prioritize connection. They educate their youth not just in finance, but in family history and values. They communicate clearly. They lead with empathy. They manage with structure. And most of all, they serve something bigger than themselves.
Gratitude becomes the mortar in their foundation. Gratitude for those who came before. Gratitude for the opportunity to lead today. Gratitude for the responsibility to leave something better behind.
So this week, I invite you to think about your family as cathedral builders. What are you laying down today that will outlast you? Are you merely stacking bricks of profit, or are you carving into each stone the values and stories that will echo long after you are gone?
Your family enterprise is not just a business. It is a legacy in motion. With care, courage, and clarity, it can become the modern cathedral your descendants gather around—grateful, proud, and inspired.
Let’s keep building.
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