There is a moment in the life of a maturing organization when the nostalgic version of how it all started no longer reflects the organization that exists today. What begins as a small group around a table becomes a disciplined organization with governance, systems, brand standards, and culture. Along the way, roles evolve. Titles change. Some contributors step away. Others step fully into the responsibilities required for scale. What used to be a story becomes an enterprise.

As that evolution happens, leaders gain a new responsibility. It is to protect the accuracy of the organization’s history while ensuring that history does not become confused with identity. Someone may have been present in the beginning, but that does not mean they shaped what the organization ultimately became.

Contribution is not the same as governance. Proximity is not the same as leadership. Being part of the early story is not the same as shaping the current one.