"The moment you think the golden years are in the rearview mirror is the day you need to quit leading and get out of the way of your business because it is a self-fulfilling prophecy."
– Peter Metcalf, CEO of Black Diamond Equipment
The fear of losing what has been established hinders many organizations from continuing the innovative aspirations that had helped them achieve their success. Many church communities reflect this mentality. What began as a passionate, creative launching of mission and community can eventually, if not re-envisioned, settle into a maintenance-minded approach that prioritizes the protection of the golden aspects of the past.
Ironically, however, by forgetting the vibrant creative ideals that enabled the past successes, leaders can unintentionally tarnish what once was prized. Younger generations will be unable to identify with past success if they are not encouraged to share the dreams and passions of the older generations and, rather, are expected to only honor the victories of the past.
Peter Metcalf, the CEO of Black Diamond Equipment, suggests that "many businesses tend to become more conservative with time because they are fearful that they put at risk what they've created and are driven more out of fear to preserve than because they are driven by the opportunity to create that which is not."
Fear of losing the past creates a reality that the past will be lost. Only by inviting the future generations into the enthusiasms and lessons of the past will the wonders of the prior achievements continue to be cherished and championed.