History is one of the most reliable predictors of the future.
We tend to act and make decisions in consistent ways—and our results follow the same patterns.
Organisations that serve their customers well continue to do so because their culture, policies, and decision-making processes are built around service excellence. Likewise, those that struggle to deliver quality outcomes often keep repeating the same mistakes.
This is why history matters. It gives us a forecast of what’s to come—and more importantly, a chance to change it.
Take, for example, an organisation that hasn’t closed a major deal in five years. Based on past performance, it’s reasonable to predict that it will keep struggling. But that prediction can be broken—say, by introducing a new sales strategy or team.
The key is awareness.
- How much of our organisational history are we actually recording? Do we have a record of how well we’ve managed business improvement or technology projects over the past decade?
- If we do have that data, what patterns or predictions can we draw from it—and do they work in our favour?
- If they don’t, what deliberate actions and plans can we make to rewrite that future?
History does not have to repeat itself—but only if we’re paying attention to the script.
