By Dennis Powell, e-Management

Relying on the past alone won’t get us to where we need to be. Choice, collaboration, and inclusion are just a few factors that will help guide us to a better future.

What I like most about the past are the good memories. Yesteryear is jam-packed with lessons learned, fun times, and a heap of nostalgia. I also love everything ‘80s including the 1985 film Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox. As some of you may recall, the movie is about a teenager of the 1980s, who accidentally gets transported to 1955 while driving a time-machine car. Throughout the movie, Fox spends his time trying to get back to the future, because he discovers the good ole days aren’t so great—especially when you are a product of the future.

Are you stuck in a 20th Century time-warp?
Today, some people focus more on the past, than what’s to come. “Let’s get back to the good ole days” is something I hear far too often when it comes to economics, education, family, morality, and believe it or not technology. Personally, I find that way of thinking somewhat defeatist. It’s like saying things have become so challenging we need to run backward, rather than to find creative ways to move forward.
Sometimes I feel as if I am surrounded by media and people who are fixated on “how we’ve always done it before.” So I was pleasantly surprised that the hosted by the agency Chief Information Officer (CIO) Linda Cureton in San Francisco was all about doing things a little differently to prepare for our future. It’s great that NASA is forward thinking.

Top 3 Lessons-Learned about Preparing for the Future
At the conclusion of the Summit, I came away with three lessons to help all of us to move from the past and get back to the future.

1. Choice leads to better collaboration: During a keynote address, Facebook CIO Tim Campos talked about the great work the social media giant is doing to drive innovation by pretty much breaking conventional rules of how things should be done. For instance, employees have the choice to use Blackberry technology or another mobile device such as the iPhone. Many organizations today require staff to use only one mobile carrier and one type of mobile device. Similarly, most work environments force staff to use only PC or only Mac. In stark contrast, Facebook has moved away from the past ways of thinking and has embraced the future by giving staff a choice. They have found giving staff a choice leads to higher satisfaction, better employee engagement, and improved collaboration. These byproducts of choice can mean more productive and innovative organizations for our future.
2. It’s okay to make mistakes in the future: According to Campos, Facebook wants its technologists to “move fast and break things.” Why? Because doing things the old way only advances the status quo. Whereas breaking things is how innovation comes about. (As a kid, I was very “innovative” if you asked the elders in my family. 
3. Diversity and inclusion will make collaboration and work products better: In another Summit session, Brenda Manuel, associate administrator for diversity and equal opportunity with NASA, and her colleagues discussed the agency’s diversity and inclusion framework. It appears our notion of a diverse workforce has clouded our perceptions of past diversity training, which has been met with some resistance such as “multiculturalism.” In contrast, NASA and other organizations are embracing the future through the concept of inclusion. Inclusion goes beyond “race,” “disability,” or “gender.” Inclusion focuses on every asset that each employee brings to an organization. According to Ms. Manuel, “diversity is a competitive advantage” that improves collaboration within organizations, which may lead to greater success. Still in another session on leadership, Sandy Peavy, CIO for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s (FLETC) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said diversity and inclusion are integral for her agency’s success. Not to beat a dead horse, but in yet another panel discussion at the Summit, industry experts talked about how inclusion and diversity are more than a human resources department concern. Specifically more and more IT departments leverage technologies such as social media and collaboration software (e.g., SharePoint®) to draw on the important inputs from staff to improve the overall “health” of organizations.

Different Sides Same Vision
Two U.S. presidents from different sides of the political aisle agreed on the role of the past in our lives. “While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future,” said President Ronald Reagan. Similarly John F. Kennedy, said “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Our past is full of rich history; however, to face challenges of our future we need to adopt disruptive, unconventional ways of doing work and thinking to drive innovation! Leave the past in the past. It’s time we get back to the future.

Back to You…
So what is your take of the role of the past in our personal and business lives? What ways of thinking will help guide us to a better future? Do you agree that choice, risk-taking, and inclusion are appropriate actions to secure a better future for all?