Does your organization have baggage—mistakes from the past that keep being dredged up again and again?

You’re not alone. And you're not alone in wondering why they aren't letting it go.

We've found it's usually a combination of a few reasons:

1. Past mistakes can be an easy scapegoat to point to instead of being held accountable.

2. They can also make a great obstacle to avoid change—“we’ve already tried that and look at what happened.”

3) The old guard wants to be recognized for their loyalty, strength, and grit – for earning their stripes, for walking two miles through four feet of snow to get to the IT department. They have lived to tell to the tale. And they will tell it, over and over again.

4) The old guard wants to be recognized for having gotten the company to where it is today.

5) The past skeletons that continue to arise were never truly laid to rest. They have not been forgiven, and thus will not be forgotten.

And this is deadly for an organization. If your employees continue to bring the past into the present, your future will look like the past. There will be very little progress. And old school and new school will become more and more divided.

It’s never too old. Nor is it ever too late. The baggage at hand could have been created 10 years ago. If it wasn’t handled well and the aftermath acknowledged, it is still haunting your organization. And it still needs to be addressed.

So how do you get them to let go? It's easier than you think. Bring your whole team together, and: 

1) Describe the gory details of what happened. Really. Yes, everyone already knows them—they want to know that YOU know them. Even if you weren't there at the time, you can describe what you have been told.

2) Do not explain why the issue was handled the way it was. This hasn't worked before and it’s not going to work now. It simply makes you appear defensive and sounds like an “I’m sorry, but…”

3) Acknowledge the impact of the issue. While you’re over it, they’re not. So take this up a notch—the impact was deeper than you think, and/or it’s gained depth as the pain of time has continuously carved through the organization. Speak to how hard it was for everyone.

4) Genuinely apologize. If you were part of leadership when the issue was created, own the issue. If you weren’t there, apologize on behalf of those who were in leadership at the time. It is much easier to forgive and forget when a genuine apology has been offered.

5) Recognize and thank those who went through it. Appreciate their contribution to where the company is today.

Then end the meeting.

In your next all-company meeting, speak to the future. Don't do it in the same meeting where you apologize, though, or it will feel like everything that came before wasn’t genuine. But at your next meeting, communicate:

• It’s time to let go of the past and create a present and future everyone can be excited about.
• Old mistakes will not be allowed to hold our organization back.
• We have learned from our mistakes, and it’s time to move on.

Then visually and meaningfully paint the picture of your vision. And then ask, with excitement, “Who’s on board with me? Stand up.” Pause and survey the room, making eye contact with each individual, smiling the whole time at the exhilaration of seeing your team being a stand for your organization’s future success.

(You might be thinking, what if they don’t stand up? While there are no guarantees, every time we have made this recommendation, the entire team stands. There’s a desire to belong and contribute to a better future.)

And you will notice within weeks of the first meeting, and days of the second meeting, that your team is making progress rather than reveling in the past.