Y - Yesterday (A to Z Tips)

How many times in life have you been told “never look back”? As we dash from one challenge to the next, we are encouraged to always look forward, always plan ahead. Our passion for progress is, itself, a measure of our success. This mind set of constant improvement is what drives us, motivates us and is, for many of us, the reason we feel a little lost in the current climate of uncertainty.

We are encouraged not to look back as “nothing changes there, looking back only delivers you regrets” people warn; it is looking forward that offers you opportunity. Look up, always. Look back, never.

Why is it we consider our past as imperfect and revisiting it a waste of precious time that will cause you to stagnate and where you run the risk of missing an opportunity? Research has shown that leaders who cultivate a respect for all that has gone before, progress more efficiently than those who don’t. So, who is right?

Winston Churchill believed that “the longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.” His belief was validated by the research of University of Southern California Marshall professor Dr. Omar El Sawy. He found that CEOs who reviewed past events before planning future events had a longer future horizon than those who look to the future without a backward glance.

Reviewing the past allows us to analyse ourselves and helps us to recognize why we do what we do. It allows us to:

Contemplate how far we’ve come and discover how far we can go: leaders can inspire change when they show others how far they have already come. If you help your team to reflect on the progress they’ve already made and the ground they’ve already covered, the challenges ahead will seem less daunting to them. Highlighting past accomplishments is a way of building collective confidence in the future.

Celebrate the past: selling a future idea to your staff will become easier if it is validated by examples of previous successes. All too often, leaders focus only on what is wrong and needs repair. Good leaders appreciate that examples of past events where the decisions taken led to success, can be used to remind staff that they can win again.

Making the connection: in our previous blog ‘X is for Xenacious’ we encourage you to check the chronicles of change; before introducing a new idea, look at what has gone before. Staff may hold back from fully embracing a proposal because they feel a sense a loss, a bereavement for that which has gone before; they too yearn for yesterday. Perhaps they cannot see a role for themselves in future, or perhaps they fear the thing they hold dear will no longer be valued.

To the people who tell you not to look back, we say: visit yesterday, but don’t live in it. Borrow from it those things that support the future you aspire to. By learning from the past, you will be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead.

You can accomplish more by identifying your past achievements.

You can gain commitment to the future by honouring the past.

You can reduce fear of the future by connecting it to the past.

Today’s answers to tomorrow’s problems, often lie in the events of yesterday.

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