I was in Plymouth, Massachusetts — so of course, I had to see the infamous Plymouth Rock that I heard about in grade school. All the locals warned me that the site was “underwhelming” (and it was), but it seemed like a bit of history that I should see while I was so close.
It was disappointing to learn that the rock has been moved inland from its original (authentic?) location, but then I was reminded that it isn’t really “the rock” that is the important part. “It is the fact that they landed — and remained — that matters, not where they landed. Yet it is no bad thing for a nation to be founded on a rock,” reads the plaque at the site.
Plymouth Rock serves as a symbol of the building of a new nation. In some ways, it’s inconsequential whether it is a true story, the original rock, or the initial location of the boulder. People come to see and celebrate what the rock represents.
Think of the values and moments that you wish to memorialize in your organization. Creating a symbol can be the rock that solidifies that message into the future.
