Everything has a context

“We have done that before, it did not work.” “We did great through certain way last time, just copy what we had.”

For those who has just become a new member of a well established group maybe recalled with both sentences (even though I hope you’ re not). For the old members, it doesn’t seem wrong; let’s call it as their ’comfort zone’ . However for the newbie, those are killing her/his creativity and the spirit of innovation. It creates question in her/his mind; “why the hell I am here?”

In resilience theory, a good system learns from the past; we call it reflection. However, some people simplify reflection as copying; disregarding the context. One should be able to take key messages from the last success or failed case(s) and apply those keys in to the new case, which has different context of time and place. That’s reflection.

So what’s the point of success in the past if we still need to think how to do it again this time? True. But, do you forget that the world is moving forward with its more advanced technology, people’s mind, and problems? The key is not glorifying the past story, but to adapt to the current situation and improve. Those require time, energy, and innovation. Plus, it challenges your mind. And the point if you have good experience and are open for innovation, you’ll do better and faster than others. Isn’t it good?

For the past winner, start listening to others to understand current context and share your key messages instead of glorifying the past story. In that way, you can find innovation together. For the newbie, cheer up, keep innovating, communicate patiently. Most importantly, always open for any explanation, that’s how we keep learning. Maybe someday we understand why.