When to look back

You know the expression, never look back? Well, whoever came up with that was wrong. If that was you, sorry. Now, before I continue, let me say that you’ve probably heard me say or read here that I am a huge proponent of pushing forward, going for it, taking risk, etc.  But, there is a time to look back.

Leadership by definition means you are blazing a path that is unknown.  Most of your time is spent moving forward, casting vision, working for the future.  There is little time, if any, to be used worrying about what’s behind you. You must move forward.

But, sometimes, it is well worth the time to stop and look backwards at where you’ve been to help you get to where you want to go. Here are a few reasons:

1. Looking back encourages you and your team that you are making progress.  Many times when you are working towards a vision, you are working so hard it doesn’t feel like there’s any real change happening.  It’s like riding in a boat on a windy day.  You are fighting the same waves every minute. It’s only when you look back and see the path you’ve left do you recognize all the progress you’ve made.
2. Looking back helps you see if you are taking the straightest path.  Continuing the boat analogy: when you look back you can see if the path you were driving straight or you were weaving.  If you were weaving, you can make some adjustments.  Every great leader, just like every great coach has to learn to make halftime adjustments.
3. Looking back may be a way for everyone to catch up with you.  If you have ever lead a group on a hike you know that naturally some people hike at a faster pace.  This may be there passion, there preparation, their determination or sheer competitiveness.  Still others take longer, they pause to look at nature, to drink water, or to tie their shoes.  By taking a break to pause, you can gather everyone together to remind them that you are going to the summit and it will only be another mile there.  You pump them up. You recast vision.
4. Looking back reminds you that ultimately your vision is about people.  We can be so task, goal, vision driven that we can easily leave out the people.  Turn around and remind yourself that you are leading people.

When’s the last time you looked back?