Is nostalgia holding you back?
Nostalgia is an affection for the past and when it comes to work many people yearn for a time long gone.
If nostalgia is put to good use it can provide fuel for a vibrant culture. This includes:
The behaviours required to overcome adversity
The creativity shown to maintain performance
The work done by teams to bridge silos
How leaders evolved their strategy to meet challenges or opportunities
How the team worked together to reject the behaviours of another who sought to undermine safety
These are all elements of a learning culture and when done well ensure that the culture positively evolves based on what’s gone before.
Unfortunately, many people use nostalgia to reject change. Things you will hear include:
‘You can’t say anything these days’
‘The kids today have it easy’
‘Everything is too PC and fluffy today’
‘The way we did things in the past worked just fine’
‘If only we could go back to [insert time period]’
The way that we work has moved on dramatically, even just in the last 5 years and we’re raising children to make more of a contribution in the world. Therefore, wistfully hoping for the sugar-coated memories of previous days to return is a waste of time and energy. It will reinforce aged or experience-based cliques, drain the energy from teams and disengage people looking to make a difference.
Negative nostalgia has no place in vibrant cultures, however, positive stories of human achievement always will. Is your nostalgia pushing you forward or holding you back?
