Ink Spots
Matt Paxton
This has been a year of significant anniversaries, at least in our world. The country celebrated 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July and The News-Gazette marked 225 years since the founding of its oldest predecessor newspaper.
Most people’s natural tendency when celebrating such milestones is to look back at the historical events and the people connected with them. That’s understandable, and can be very interesting, especially when combing through archives and old records. Anecdotal stories often play a significant part in these anniversary narratives.
Too often, though, anniversaries are used more to glorify the entity’s image. An excess of focus on history and too much of a “we’ve always done it this way” mentality can stifle innovation, and can cause organizations to retain things that should be discarded. Old procedures, policies and even products can hold an organization back.
Anniversaries should be a time to reflect on the many factors that led to the longevity of the organization, not to exclude simple luck. Many businesses don’t survive because of factors outside of the founder’s control. I know of a lot of local newspapers that did a great job of bringing the news to their communities, but the towns themselves were dying economically. There wasn’t enough advertising or subscription revenue to keep the paper going. The News-Gazette has been lucky to be in a community with a historically good economy and a tradition of reading and intellectual curiosity.
Besides the “what and when” of histories, a more valuable take-away is how the history has informed the culture and values of the organization, whether it be a business or a country. An organization that has survived for a significant period probably has in its DNA certain values and principles that have kept it successful. Those should be celebrated perhaps even more than the events and long-dead people from its history.
Rather than only looking backward, I think using anniversaries to look ahead is a much more useful exercise. Consider this: the founders of nations and newspapers were looking to the future when they set their enterprises in motion. Whether it’s creating a new country or a business, those who are in at the beginning have a vision of what they hope their creation will become.
That vision may be simple survival for the next year, but successful entrepreneurs typically have a plan, and an idea of where they want their creation to be in five, 10 or 20 years. For businesses and organizations marking milestone birthdays, recapturing some of that passion for the future, coupled with a recognition of the values and principles that have stood the test of time for that organization, can be a powerful way to leverage what is nominally just a date.
We had fun with our anniversary celebration a couple of weeks ago, and were gratified that so many people came out to help us celebrate. We recognized The News-Gazette past, talked about the present, and provided a look at where we want to see the paper in the future.
It’s great to celebrate longevity for a business or organization, but it’s even better if it can be a springboard to a sustainable future.
