xxi) Too Much Concentration On The Present And Past

Too much concentration on the present and past, ie nostalgia, and not enough on the future. On the other hand, astute leaders need to build on the best of the past and not just destroy it. Staff need to be recognised and rewarded for their past achievements and be allowed enough time to grieve and recover from the changes, ie

"...Need to calibrate the push and pull of congratulations and pressure..."

for change while

"...depending on the staff's underlying value system and sense of mission..."

Paul Levy as quoted by David Garvin et al, 2005

. Need to realise that what has happened is the "living past". Remember:

"...the problem is that revolutions usually fail. Evolution, in which a dramatic innovation is grafted onto the best of the core competencies of the past, has a much better chance of succeeding. When a revolution tries to eradicate everything from the past, it ends up making mistakes..."

Furthermore,

"...If you have the notion that leadership is only about change, then you're likely to increase the sources of your resistance. You step on a great many more toes than is necessary, because you devalue the good things that people have been doing and are simply getting them to discard part of what they're doing..."

Ronald A Heifetz as quoted by Loren Gary, 2005

. Managers not keeping their word - they need to make a few promises and fulfill them

. Not understanding and reading the non-verbal responses and their ramifications

. Staff not allowed to develop ownership of the new way of working, ie mindset changes

Some people handling change can be like the military generals who often, in the current war, fight the last war, ie
"...it means military strategy often focuses on what has happened rather than what is happening now..."
VanEck, 2021

These generals use the strategies, tactics, etc that worked well in the last war. Despite its success in the past, there is no guarantee that it will work well now or in the future.

This is similar to many change practitioners who focus on what work in the past rather than what is needed now.