When It Pays To Forget - Corporate Institutional Memory Is On Trial

A man awoke from a 15-year coma and regained his memory in an astonishingly short period of one month. But this wasn't the case for the inactive muscles during the period as physiotherapy took a much longer time to ignite his motor skills.

He was chauffeured on his maiden trip around the city by his 20-year old son, who was a little 5-year old at the time of the accident that sent him into comatose. It was in a strange-looking car because the one he knew was long gone and had defrayed some of his hospitalisation costs. And so he asked: "Why wasn't I consulted when selling my car?" The boy was too young at the time so he simply answered: "you were deep in your long sleep dad and we needed to keep you alive".

The shock was evident and just as the doctor had told the family, the freshly awoken man needed a year to get up to speed.

Life had moved on so fast that the man had to reconcile himself with the fact that this was not a sneak preview of the future but rather a time to play catch up with all the fundamentals that now confronted him. He also needed to come to terms with a past that he never had a chance to influence.

Life itself became an oxymoron and excitingly frustrating at that for everyone around him. It sometimes turned to frustratingly exiting. Every move or thought kept reminding everyone else of a time that they had moved away from: "Let's visit the Petersons", he requested and he was updated on their formal separation a decade ago. Some people from his life then had passed away and nearly a half of his acquaintances had retired or moved away in search of success.

The digital world that faced him now was monstrous and his daily therapy began to make more sense at every session that he attended. As he fully processed events that had happened, everyone else needed to move on with their lives and it was not easy.

Today, many people are dazed by the speed of change. The last 18 months alone have churned out more information than all that was out there from the beginning of time. Technology is the enabler here. During this time, the devourer in Covid-19 arose and wrecked havoc on our lives - the possibility of a deadlier wave poses a real danger on lives and more jobs.

So adjustments today bequeath more adjustments the way problems call their relatives to the party when one is experiencing hard times. In the interim period, we must find a coping mechanism now and a lasting solution moving forward.

Such huge changes to cope with for many people are akin to an awakening from a long coma. Suddenly, the many things that we cling to can no longer bring us success or pride. We must let go of them and embrace what the new day has in store.

When something matters for the next phase of survival, adults take learning seriously. We are now at that point where forgetting the irrelevant past only pays if we embrace the realities of today with the gusto of a child learning to speak or walk. Giving up is not an option.

Just as professionals have a minimum number of Continuous Professional Development points to achieve from new programs offered annually, if they must renew their practising certificates, we must now set our own targets along a similar path. It is not a choice but a must-do item on our list.

Panic mode must not set in. There is always a way out of any quagmire. When things look complex, give it a simple approach. So just simply ask yourself, where am I now vis-a-vis my new destination? Where you are now is what you either must forget or what cannot bring you success for the world buried it under the hip of new opportunities. And that is where you must search for your future activities.

The next question is, what do I need to do to get where I am destined? This is where you map out your way through uncharted waters and it is a frightening phase as you are confronting a reality that won't be rehearsed for things shall go live for sure. And finally, what resources do I need to get where I am headed? Hope and self-belief are some of them.

If those resources include people who are knowledgeable about your chosen path, then seek them out. Your enemy from the old world may be the best ally in your future path, he needs to survive too. So, however hard it is, forgiving without throwing caution to the wind is the best way of forgetting the past for it shall progress you to your next phase in life.

Letting go is not a talent that anyone was given. It is an order that we must obey. Today's fundamentals are calling the shots from unfamiliar grounds and none that you were told about in good time.

Institutional memory is on trial here and no wonder that some organisations are registering growth even when the old hands are terminated. In some instances, their exit at work spurs megagrowth. Such are the times to disembark and write a book about the good old times. At least you will be selling it in the present tense as you ponder your next move.

The good news in the midst of these enormous shifts is that humans, unlike dinosaurs, are versatile enough to surmount the tide. Just play your part in the change process and you will remake your future.