We conducted a training last week for a tech company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thanks to their explosive growth, they face a new challenge—how to navigate and adapt to the changes that accompany success. After completing the training, we drove back to Santa Fe and watched Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy series on CNN.

This episode featured a small town near Venice that is regularly inundated with seawater. In 1966 the aqua alta, or high tide, created such devastation that it was feared the great viticultural history of the region would be lost. However, an ingenious Venetian discovered a vine thought to be extinct on a nearby island. This particular vine thrives in saltwater soil. The resulting Dorona wine is world renowned today.

Similarly, our tech client discovered what made them successful. It was their ability to manage the labyrinths of government contracts. They leveraged that skill to win assignments with other government agencies and major corporations. The secret to their ongoing success was there all the time.

When you face challenges, recall your beginnings. Reflect on your ethos and the secret sauce that forged your victories. Always seeking the new can make us blind to what is right in front of us. Real strength is leveraging ideas from our past to ensure our future.