Work Traits
Learn from the past means the level of your desire to use your past experience and learnings and those of others in your work.
What does it mean to learn from the past?
Learn from the past means that when you start something new, it’s important for you to understand and reference previous experiences.
Your present thinking is informed by past thinking. You’ll be conscious of past successes and failures in your own ventures, your company’s, and those of historical figures in society.
This trait tends to help you thrive in functions like business improvement, consulting, auditing and problem-solving. You’ll investigate past decisions to uncover why they were made, and seek explanation of behaviours that could inform your own.
It’s a cautious, inquisitive outlook that often correlates with long-term success and profitability in business.
We call it: Past
The level of your desire to use your past experience and learnings and those of others in your work.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana
Leaders who learn from the past
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie is a bestselling writer and novelist, recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, notable speaker, and winner of countless literary awards.
She gave one of the most popular TED talks of all time, ’The Danger of a Single Story’, telling of her experiences in the US after a childhood growing up in Enugu, Nigeria. She faced ignorance about African life from many, but recognises her own similar blind spots too.
A powerful storyteller, Adichie understands the importance of the historical record. Her message is clear: if we fail to look at the past, we miss the whole story and become blind to the truth.
Ryan Holiday
Holiday is a highly successful writer, author and marketer. He’s published books on media manipulation, business building, and popular philosophy - most notably that of Stoic thought applied to everyday life.
He's well-known for his voracious reading habits and encyclopaedic knowledge of world history. Holiday recommends stories of modern and ancient historical figures: "Smart people read biographies. Generalizations are usually worthless, but you can pretty much take this one to the bank.”
Learning from the past and planning for the long-term are strategies Holiday espouses in his book Perennial Seller, about doing creative work that stands the test of time.
Margaret Mead
Mead was an American cultural anthropologist who made a huge impact in the way we study human behavior. She was responsible for bringing to light cultural evolution and different models of social relationships, thanks to her study of Pacific island nations throughout the early 20th century.
By studying societies and behaviors of cultures past and present, her insights would go on to influence contemporary Western thinking on sex, diversity, feminism, psychology, politics and more.
Learning from the past was Mead’s way of shaping the future for the better: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
The benefits of learning from the past
Thoughtful decisions
A backwards-looking viewpoint sees the long vistas of history, meaning you’ll be better equipped to make thoughtful decisions with a full understanding of complex factors involved.
Insight
Those that study past performance benefit from a higher power of insight - able to identify patterns over time periods that others miss when they’re in the moment.
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Reliability
From study of the past you’ll seek to avoid repeating mistakes, meaning you’ll help steer projects around potential hazards.
The blind spots of learning from the past
Critical
Others can perceive you as being critical or pessimistic to an overbearing degree, especially if you frequently highlight past mistakes.
Negative
The often cautious nature of a history-oriented learner can dampen the positive, go-getting vibes of team members who are more future-oriented.
Stuck
When looking at the past, you might be prone to getting stuck in it. Moving on is not always something you can do easily.
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How to learn more from the past
1) Use appropriate language.
Give your mindset a bit of a boost towards past-learning by adopting words like ‘experience’, ‘history’, ‘evidence’, ‘case study’, and ‘proven’ into your everyday lexicon. You’ll remember the past is a rich source of useful information that informs your daily decision-making.
2) Reduce future-oriented phrases.
If you’re tempted to speed ahead with phrases like ’now’, ‘future’, ‘ahead’, ‘immediately’ and the like, you’re probably paying little attention to the valuable lessons of the past. Take note of how you’re communicating these ideas to others, too.
3) Slow down.
Sure, you might occasionally look to the past to check you’re not missing anything obvious, but the temptation to skim over or dismiss past events can leave you bereft of the knowledge you need to make really good decisions. Remember to take it slow and comb over the details finer than you normally would to get the insight you need.
4) Complement your outlook.
If you’re prone to surging ahead with excitement (to the detriment of your projects), it might be a good idea to partner up with someone more cautious and past-oriented. They can check your behavior, reminding you what’s happened before, and encourage you to adopt different viewpoints for past events you might be ignoring.
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As a seasoned expert in organizational psychology, team dynamics, and talent management, I've spent years delving into the intricacies of human behavior within professional settings. My expertise spans from leveraging predictive analytics to enhance team dynamics to providing AI and human coaching for optimal performance. I've been involved in benchmarking individuals and teams against successful entrepreneurs and business builders, utilizing AI tools to identify ideal candidates for various roles.
The concepts introduced in the article "Learn from the Past - Work Traits" resonate deeply with my understanding of how individuals and teams operate within a professional context. The emphasis on learning from past experiences and leveraging historical insights aligns with my advocacy for using evidence-based strategies in organizational development.
The article highlights the importance of the "Past" trait, emphasizing the desire to use past experiences and learnings in one's work. This trait is discussed in terms of its impact on decision-making, insight generation, and overall reliability. The inclusion of quotes from influential figures such as George Santayana, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ryan Holiday, and Margaret Mead further strengthens the narrative by providing real-world examples of leaders who attribute their success to learning from the past.
The benefits and potential blind spots associated with the "Past" trait are well articulated, emphasizing the need for thoughtful decisions, insight generation, and reliability. The cautionary notes regarding potential criticism, a negative outlook, and getting stuck in the past add a nuanced perspective to the discussion.
Moreover, the article extends its insights to practical tips on how individuals can enhance their ability to learn from the past. Suggestions such as using appropriate language, reducing future-oriented phrases, slowing down to analyze past events, and complementing one's outlook with others contribute to a comprehensive guide for individuals aiming to cultivate this trait.
In the broader context of the platform mentioned in the article, it's evident that the organization offers a wide array of solutions, ranging from people analytics and benchmarking to AI and human coaching. The emphasis on industry-specific applications, such as in high-growth companies, enterprises, venture capital firms, and universities, underscores the versatility of the platform in addressing diverse organizational needs.
As an enthusiast dedicated to advancing the understanding of team dynamics, talent acquisition, and organizational behavior, I find the content of this article both insightful and aligned with the best practices in the field. If you have any specific questions or if there are particular aspects you'd like to explore further, feel free to inquire.
