Lynn writes: “When I work in organisations I often hear frustration amongst staff about individuals living in the past.  The other week I was travelling on a train and it made me think….Sitting rear facing in a train is the safest way to travel. In the event of a crash you will sustain less injury.  However when you look out of the window travelling backwards, it is really difficult to make sense of what you see as it flies away from you as soon as you process  what you have glimpsed.  The view seems more transient when seen backwards and it is harder to see the whole vista rather than small areas.

So why do so many people and organisations look backwards to what has happened? And what has gone before?  There is of course lots of learning to be gleaned from what has gone before but only looking that way can distort your view and prevent you from having enough time to see clearly what is out there. Maybe it is because we feel safe in a crash?   I have travelled hundreds of times on a train, forward facing so perhaps my risk is small and manageable as is the risk of looking forward at work?  Although looking forward I can’t see everything and the speed it travels towards me feels a bit scar.  If I do it often enough I begin to spot clues of what is on its way. Think about it…”

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