Frustrated leaders spend far too much time focused on the past and far too little time creating the future. They’re always saying, “What are we doing wrong?” The past cannot be changed — stop trying to fix it.
If you don’t have clear vision for the future,
looking back destroys you.
Your past can be:
- A distraction from the present and future. Longing for the past destroys the future.
- An object of reflection that helps you know and understand yourself and others.
- An anchor or platform.
- A teacher that shows you things to repeat and, more importantly, things to stop.
Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is create it.” You create the future by building on the past, not fixing it.
How to create your future:
The past is disappointing when things aren’t working in the present. But don’t focus on the past in order to create your future.
Let vision not history create your future.
The first things to ask are: “Where do we want to go and what’s the next step to getting there?” Not: “What went wrong and how do we fix it?”
The past is useful when you have the future in mind.
When you see frustration or failure ask:
- What are you trying to accomplish?
- What are you doing to get where you want to go?
- What is the next, most useful, thing you can do, right now?
- Which habits from the past should be stopped?
- Which habits should be continued?
Focusing on the past only pulls you into the past,
unless you have the future in mind.
What are you trying to do right always precedes what went wrong.
The past is a platform only for those
looking forward; otherwise, it’s an anchor.
The secret to creating the future is first seeing it then looking back.
What future-creating tips can you add?
What role does the past play as leaders build the future?
