Memory as a Leadership Practice
One of the patterns I've noticed in both my own leadership journey and in the organizations I've served is how easily perspective narrows under stress.
When a significant challenge emerges, whether organizational or personal, it is easy to begin viewing the situation as though it were entirely unique. Problems feel larger. Risks feel greater. Possible solutions become harder to see.
In those moments, I have found one practice particularly helpful: remembering.
Not nostalgia. Not pretending the present challenge is smaller than it is. Rather, intentionally recalling what has happened before.
What challenges have we faced as an organization? What worked? What didn't? Where did we make mistakes? Where did we grow? Where did God meet us?
Over the years I have observed that resilient leaders tend to have good memories. They remember previous transitions. They remember seasons that once felt overwhelming. They remember board conflicts, financial pressures, leadership changes, and organizational setbacks that seemed daunting at the time but eventually became part of a larger story.
This observation aligns with what researchers have discovered about resilience. Under stress, people often overestimate threats and underestimate resources. The immediate challenge begins to dominate their thinking. Remembering previous successes, lessons learned, and challenges overcome provides evidence that today's circumstances are not the whole story.
I see this in my own life as well.
When doubts begin to surface, I find it helpful to intentionally rehearse moments when God has been faithful. I revisit Scriptures that anchored me in previous seasons. I recall challenges that once felt impossible to navigate but no longer define the narrative.
The point is not to guarantee a particular outcome.
The point is to regain perspective.
Perhaps this is one reason Scripture places such a strong emphasis on remembering. Throughout the Old Testament, God's people repeatedly established memorials, celebrated feasts, and retold stories of God's faithfulness. The practice was never about preserving history for history's sake. It was about helping people interpret present circumstances through the lens of a larger story.
Leaders need that perspective as well.
Especially during seasons of uncertainty.
The challenge in front of us may be real. It may require difficult decisions, difficult conversations, and difficult sacrifices.
But remembering reminds us that today's challenge is not the first challenge we have faced, nor is it the first time God has met us in uncertainty.
Upcoming Conversation
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on the topic of flourishing.
The conversation explored questions such as:
What is the difference between flourishing and success?
What conditions help people flourish personally and professionally?
What distinguishes a flourishing team from a merely functional one?
How do trust, psychological safety, and belonging contribute to organizational health?
What are the markers of a flourishing organization beyond simply achieving results?
The recording is currently being edited and should be available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts in the coming weeks.
I'll share the links once they are published.
Invitation
One question I've been sitting with this week:
What story am I rehearsing about the challenge in front of me?
The answer often reveals more than we realize.
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