The Manager's Pocket Guide to Corporate Culture Change

Step B.Putting the past behind

• What it means:

— Accepting the past without being trapped in it

• How it works:

— Gaining perspective

— Shedding the old image

The Idea

Putting the past behind involves accepting the past without being trapped by it.  Accepting means more than letting the event sink in emotionally; it also means letting go.  Letting go is a way to recognize that acceptance of the “new” means that something of the “old” must go.  Getting the past behind takes time and often includes a recycling of the acceptance and understanding processes.

Often before we can put the past behind us, we have to gain perspective.  Gaining perspective means getting some distance, or detachment, from the event.  Getting distance helps break up the ...