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“Memento Mori” – Remember, You Will Die – A Leadership Wake-Up Call

May 7, 2025/WP Buffs

Memento Mori: Leading with Mortality in Mind

There’s a small Latin phrase that has quietly guided wise leaders for almost two thousand years: memento mori — “remember that you will die.”

At first glance, it sounds bleak. But stay with me. As a fellow leader who has navigated boardrooms, business plans, and broken expectations, I can tell you: this reminder is not about fear. It’s about focus.

Memento mori is not an invitation to despair. It is a call to live and lead with clarity, courage, and conviction. When we remember that our time is limited, we start leading in ways that matter.

This isn’t just Stoic philosophy from Marcus Aurelius. It echoes deeply in Scripture too. Psalm 90:12 pleads, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Here are six ways I’ve found memento mori can shape our leadership in profound, life-giving ways:

  1. Lead with Perspective

Marcus Aurelius wrote: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

This is about perspective. When a team member frustrates us or a project misses its mark, we can respond with anger or with wisdom. Leaders who live with memento mori in mind don’t “Sweat the Small Stuff.” We remember what really matters: people, character, long-term impact.

Jesus modeled this beautifully. The ninth chapter of Luke shares a story of Jesus’ rejection at a Samaritan village, but, rather than being discouraged, Jesus pushed on because he had set his face toward Jerusalem – he knew where he was going and what he was about to do.

  1. Prioritize What’s Eternal, Not Just Urgent

In the blur of daily demands, it’s tempting to chase what’s urgent over what’s important. But memento mori flips that.

What will still matter ten years from now? Ten generations?

As leaders, we need to be about more than deadlines and deliverables. We are shaping culture, building people, and influencing futures. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).

  1. Cultivate Humility

Remembering our mortality keeps us grounded. Marcus Aurelius reminded himself often: “Soon you will have forgotten all things: soon all things will have forgotten you.”

Far from being depressing, that’s freeing. You don’t have to pretend to be perfect. You don’t have to carry the weight of your title. Memento mori humbles us and, paradoxically, makes us more powerful because we become more real.

  1. Make Decisions Based on Values

When you realize you won’t be here forever, you start leading for what matters.

Would I make this same decision if I had just one year left in this role? Would I speak to my team this way if I knew today might be the last time?

Memento mori helps us align our leadership with our values. We begin to ask, like Paul did in Galatians 1:10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?”

  1. Practice Gratitude Daily

Every breath, every meeting, every conversation is a gift. Leaders shaped by memento mori don’t just drive outcomes. They celebrate people. They say thank you often.

Last year I won the “Sunglasses Award” at our annual year-end party for my never-ending optimism. While I don’t think I’m internally as optimistic as my team sees externally, I am purposeful about finding the good things they are doing and celebrating them.

Gratitude changes the climate of your leadership. It pushes back against burnout and bitterness. It creates space for joy.

  1. Leave a Leadership Legacy

If you really embrace memento mori, your ego shrinks and your vision expands.

The question shifts from “What am I building?” to “Who am I building?”

Are you multiplying your impact through others? Are you developing future leaders? Are you creating a culture that will outlast you?

Paul told Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say… entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). That’s legacy-minded leadership.

So, fellow leader, remember: you will die. And that’s not a curse. It’s a compass. Let it guide you to lead with more clarity, more courage, more grace.

Three Questions for Reflection

  1. What would I do differently today if I knew I had just one year left in my leadership role?
  2. Who am I intentionally developing to carry on the mission?
  3. Where do I need to shift from urgency to eternal significance?

Let’s keep walking this leadership journey together—with eyes open, hearts humble, and impact that outlasts us.