Going Back to my Future

When you begin work, you inherit all the problems of the past. It’s natural to grumble about those problems and the leaders who created them, but at some point those problems become yours. If you fail to address them during your tenure, all you have done is pass them along to others who will grumble about you and your leadership.

When I found myself in a board president position, I told my board that my goal was for nobody to look back at our group and curse our decisions. Only time will tell if we have succeeded, but I can say with confidence that we have addressed most of the long-standing issues and problems. By the time I leave the board, we will have made great progress and I will be content with that.

Six months ago, I wrote about how important it is to document your rationale and thoughts for future leaders who will live with the results of your decisions. Lately I find myself on this same train of thought. What will the future think of our contributions? More importantly, will they understand them well enough not to accidentally take a step back?

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