Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." I think you could also say, "Those who do know history can build upon it". You can take the things that have worked over time and add to them.
Between my reading and listening to individuals that come from previous generations, I have observed a few things that I think we can apply and build on.
From my grandparent's generation, we often hear stories about hard work, commitment, loyalty, and the attitude of "just get it done". The stories come from the Great Depression, WWII and the early post WWII years. They were the "Greatest Generation". They worked hard, they worked long hours. They did what it took to get the results they wanted. They didn't have much but they made the best of what they had. If it meant working more than 40 hours per week or having 2 jobs, that is what they did and it was not considered exceptional to make that commitment. Could those lessons still apply today?
From my parent's generation, "The Baby Boomers", I have picked up on the importance of quality. TQM (Total Quality Management) was the thing to learn in management courses. Japanese car companies took over the automotive industry by doing this. Detroit lost it's edge by cutting costs and not responding with quality products soon enough. They are still playing catch-up.
My business classes in college were all about quality and management to get quality. That was until now.
This generation talks about influence. Developing people. True Leadership. Sure, this has been happening all along, just like quality has always been good. But, it seems that the focus in this generation is on the people more than the product. At least with the growth minded organizations.
Does that mean we should forget hard work? What about quality?
What if we combine hard work, a commitment to quality AND the passion for influence? I think it is safe to say that many in today's generation have forgotten some of the lessons from previous generations. They may want to have an influence but have forgotten how to work hard or commit. They may have a commitment to quality but not a passion for developing others. They may have a good work ethic but not a commitment to quality. What if we work on bringing the past and the present learnings together? The true leaders of today do just this. They are commited to doing whatever it takes, with a commitment to quality and a passion for developing others (influence).
"Those that know their history and apply it will build on each generation's strengths and add their own."
