More years ago than I care to count, I was a college student at Messiah University with my mind fixed on a young woman I was just getting to know. I was in full swoon mode—the kind where your friends rip on you and you don’t even notice. She was terrific then (she still is; I eventually married her).

One day, I arrived early for lunch. The cafeteria was practically empty. I grabbed my tray, plate, and silverware and headed toward the food line…when I heard that familiar voice. I whipped around to see her—and kept walking straight into the door. Tray down. Silverware everywhere. The crash echoed through the cafeteria like a scene from a sitcom with a very low production budget.

As I knelt to pick up the pieces of my dignity, I realized something important: maybe I should look forward when walking through doors. A life lesson I should’ve learned in physics class.

I can’t remember how long I hid in the food service area afterward, but I’m confident of this: there are times to look back, and times to look forward.

Leaders perform best when we lean forward. We bring hope for the future, clarity of direction, and the energy to build momentum for our teams. But seasoned leaders also know that forward-looking hope grows from backward-looking gratitude; that vision sharpens when we pause long enough to assess the truth of where we’ve been; and that real momentum requires regular rest and refueling.

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments—but the best ones know how to balance looking back with gratitude and looking forward with hope.

When individuals and organizations embrace that balance, they don’t just perform better, they grow deeper, wiser, and more resilient over time. Our team members at North Group help leaders create space to consider the past and look to the future—without running straight into walls.

Written by Jerry Murray​