Is keeping an old office the way to preserve a legacy? Publicis maintains the office of its founder in the exact state as when he died in 1996 Maurice Lévy has revealed that Publicis maintains the office of founder Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet in the exact state as when he died in 1996, including two Picassos and a sculpture by Giacometti. Is this the best way to maintain a link to the company's founder? The executive: Jon Moulton I'd sell the Picassos and the statue and use the proceeds to fund some apprenticeships for young talent - nothing makes a better legacy statement. Most founders are best quietly forgotten as what was great in the early days of an organisation is mostly not good for the larger and more mature business. Indeed many CEOs go to some lengths to obliterate the reminders of their predecessors - possibly out of a concern the predecessor was better! The writer is chairman of Better Capital, a private equity firm The academic: Randel Carlock In the era of the imperial CEO, Maurice Lévy is teaching us what 21st century leadership should be. His commitment to values such as loyalty to his predecessor is refreshing because he understands that leading Publicis is about shaping a culture that motivates individual and organisational performance. The lesson of Mr Lévy's approach is that the organisation - not the leader - is the top priority. Creating a culture based on loyalty offers all stakeholders another reason to invest in its future success. The writer is a professor at Insead The consultant: Stephen Brooks The primary legacy of a founder is the enduring survival of a company that creates wealth for employees and owners, and delivers benefits to customers. That will rely on developing a culture that enables it to do better than competitors. Unless the contents of Bleustein-Blanchet's office illustrate key aspects of the culture he wanted to create, it is hard to see how preserving them will have much meaning for Publicis's 60,000 employees. Endowing an institution that epitomises the founder's values - the approach taken by Sir Henry Tate, George Peabody and Andrew Carnegie - might be more effective. The writer is a specialist in people management and organisational change at PA Consulting Group The academic: Nigel Nicholson Legacy and memory are not the same thing. This preserves more of the latter than the former, which means it has more resonance for some folks than others. Legacy requires substance - signs of what the company has built and the lasting social capital it has created. It also looks like conspicuous consumption to keep these art works closeted. Better to let the rest of the word see them, too. The writer is a professor at London Business School and author The "I" of Leadership The consultant: George Bradt In the early 1980s big decisions at Walt Disney were still made by asking "What would Walt want?" But Disney had died in 1966 and his judgments were out of date. On the other hand, some of Hewlett-Packard's recent chief executives forgot that the company was founded in a garage and driven by the HP Way. Ignoring that legacy wrecked havoc on the company. The right approach requires balance. Since culture is an organisation's only sustainable competitive advantage, apply the best of the founders" legacies and let go of the rest. Publicis must determine how it wants Bleustein-Blanchet's legacy to influence its behaviours (day-to-day posturing), relationships (the way it conducts business internally and with customers), attitudes (across its strategy, posture and culture), values (long-term vision) and environment (competitive positioning). The writer is managing director of PrimeGenesis and author of The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan