Honoring the Past
Last week one of our our chefs, Walter, made creamed spinach for lunch. As I went through the lunch line, I put some on my plate along with the other foods that had been prepared and didn’t think much about it. Then as we were all sitting down enjoying conversation, Walter shared with tears in his eyes, that the dish he had made was inspired by the passing of a mentor of his and the first chef who he’d ever worked for. Amazingly, the next bite tasted remarkably different. It was transformed from a regular side dish into something that had soul, love and meaning.
As we recently celebrated Memorial Day and those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom, I’ve been thinking about the importance of honoring our past. Much of what we do personally is inspired by what happened to us in the past. Businesses both old and new have origins that define how they got to where they are today and shape the direction of their future. With so many demands on our time and the need to keep up with the fast pace at which the world keeps evolving, it can seem counterintuitive or even trivial to spend too much time reminiscing about the past. The past, however, can be our greatest teacher and best motivator if we are intentional about utilizing it in that way.
Being part of a second-generation family business, we have 42 years of history. While I started working in the business at a very young age, I have to make an effort to ask my father, our long-time customers, and the team members that came before me to learn how the business started and the history that shaped our beginnings. The 13 years that April and I have owned the business have been a whirlwind and have flown by. Recently, I was prompted to think about stories that were most impactful over the time we’ve owned the business. While some came easily, it took some time to recall many things that I don’t think about often and frankly I was probably close to forgetting all together. Honoring the past is not just about spending time thinking about those stories, it’s critical to document them as well.
Once you’ve collected the stories, it’s important to share the stories with others. Sharing helps preserve the memories and encourages them to live on. Sharing provides context and meaning into what we do and why we do it. Sharing those stories is a way of celebrating the past and the parts that support the future efforts of an organization. While not all stories may be worth celebrating, the stories of our shortcomings and hardships are just as important. We can acknowledge what we learned from those stories and use them as lessons for the future. It provides education for what to do, what not to do, and how to navigate challenges.
Some organizations do a great job of telling the story of their history and honoring their past. Others have a mindset of only looking at what is ahead of them. Early on in my career I struggled to embrace the past. I wanted people to focus on where we were going and the people on the current team. While I still place a tremendous amount of focus on the future, as I’ve matured, I’ve realized the importance of making time to honor the past. As it did with Walter’s spinach, honoring the past gives us understanding, meaning and appreciating for what we currently have.