Lead Change is a leadership media destination with a unique editorial focus on driving change within organizations, teams, and individuals. Lead Change, a division of Weaving Influence, publishes twice monthly with SmartBrief. Today’s post is by Eileen McDargh.

In 1850, one of the greatest storms in decades marched across England. Five ships were dashed to pieces and all hands lost. An Irish sailing ship bound for America floundered and 96 people drowned.

To the north of England, on the Orkney island of Scotland, the storm howled for two days. The gale, combined with fierce rain and high tides, stripped the grassy covering off an irregular knoll. It had been a landmark for centuries. When the storm abated, islanders emerged to discover that where the knoll had stood were the remains of an ancient stone village. It consisted of nine houses, amazingly intact except for roofs.

The village, known as Skara Brae, is older than Stonehenge and the pyramids in Egypt.Here’s the point: Beneath that disaster, was an incredible find. Surely for centuries, villagers had probably just dumped dirt or refuse — you name it — over the houses. The villagers probably didn’t want to look at the homes.