When Progress Means Erasing: Learning What to Unlearn

Some things need to be unlearned

We usually discuss progress in terms of learning: new skills, new tools, new strategies.

But towards the end of 2025, I found myself thinking about something else: sometimes progress starts with unlearning.

Not because what we knew was wrong, but because it once worked, and no longer fits the reality we operate in today.

Unlearning #1: Strategy is a collective practice, beyond titles

For a long time, strategy has been framed as something designed at the top and implemented below.

What I observed this year challenged that idea.

Strategic thinking often appears in team discussions and conversations around the constraints on cross-operability and cross-coordination.

It shows up when people connect dots across silos, question assumptions, and adjust direction together — sometimes without even calling it “strategy.”

Unlearning meant accepting that strategy is not a title-based responsibility.

It is a collective process, shaped by many hands and minds across the organisation.

Unlearning #2: Not everything that matters will be visible

Visibility matters. It help opens doors. Nonetheless, 2025 reminded me that some of the most important work happens away from visibility. Unlearning here meant separating visibility from value.

Not every contribution needs to be visible to be valuable. Some of the most meaningful outcomes take shape quietly — through active listening, timing, and behind-the-scenes coordination. In several cases, staying out of the spotlight helps the work stay focused and move forward.

The real challenge is not choosing between visibility and quiet work, but learning to protect what matters - and when not to push.

Unlearning #3: Leadership does not always mean moving faster

There is a constant pressure to accelerate — to do more, decide faster, move higher.

This year pushed me to unlearn that reflex. Sometimes leadership means slowing down, listening longer, and creating space for others to contribute.

In large and established organisations, including the one I am proud to be part of, calm judgment and collective thinking often move things forward more sustainably.

Progress does not always come from adding more. Often, it comes from knowing what to pause, revise, or let go.

Unlearning #4: Ownership grows when it is shared

Initiatives often become stronger when they no longer belong solely to a single person or unit. As ideas move across teams and organizations, they evolve. That evolution is not always easy, but it tends to make the outcomes more resilient and easier to sustain.

Unlearning here meant letting go of the need to “own” outcomes individually. Shared ownership should not underestimate responsibility; it redistributes it. When more people feel accountable, the efforts are circulated further and last longer.

Progress, I learned, is not always about controlling — but about trusting others enough to let the work evolve beyond you.

For me, in 2025, real progress happened when I stopped adding more to my box — and started letting things go.

#Unlearning #Strategy #Leadership #Ownership #Visibility #Value