Hunting sacred cows

Todd Ordal //December 12, 2011//

Hunting sacred cows

Todd Ordal //December 12, 2011//

“We need to make dramatic changes around here, but I won’t fire Jim!”
“Long hours are part of our culture. I expect people to check email on the weekend.”
“I always attend those meetings. People expect me there!”
“Our customers don’t want that.”
“Social media isn’t important in our market.”
“We cannot hire from outside our industry. They just don’t get it!”

Mooooo! These are some business leaders’ sacred cows that I’ve heard lowing in the pastures in the past few years. It’s great to have tradition and common practices, but only if they serve a purpose.

Let’s go hunt some cows! Our weapon? The question. Here are some examples:

“… won’t fire Jim!”
-How much profit will you forgo to keep Jim in his role?
-How many people will you let quit to keep Jim in his role?
-When you move to another division or company, how do you think the next president will respond to Jim?

“… always attend those meetings.”
-What’s the purpose of the meeting?
-What value do you bring to the meeting?
-As CEO, do you think you facilitate or inhibit honest conversation in that meeting?
-If you had three extra hours a week, what would be the most valuable thing you could do for the company?

“… they just don’t get it!”
-What are you missing by hiring exclusively from your industry?
-Do you think the record industry might’ve said the same thing before Napster® and iTunes®?
-Exactly what skills does one need to succeed here?

It’s necessary to cull sacred cows from the herd occasionally. The funny thing is that they’re often invisible when you’re standing right next to them. They still eat your hay and crap in your field, but you don’t know they’re there. Back up and view the field from a distance, and you might get a good look at them!
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