| Years ago I stumbled upon a story about a man | | | | organization from front line workers to C suite |
| riding a dead horse. After the rider tried numerous | | | | executives on a very personal level. For example, |
| solutions all while still staying atop of the animal, a | | | | how many times do we in business continue to think |
| Native American passing by surveyed the situation | | | | about an event or a personal interaction that did not |
| and suggested the only obvious solution was to | | | | go well? Minutes to sometimes hours are spent |
| simply "dismount." | | | | rethinking what we could have done differently. |
| How frequently in business including small business | | | | During this process in many cases, the emotions kick |
| owners, entrepreneurs to C Suite executive do we | | | | in with the signs of physical stress now beginning to |
| continue to ride dead horses? From ineffective | | | | show. And to quote a well worn phrase: How is that |
| marketing to misaligned operational systems to poor | | | | working for you? |
| management, all continue to exist even though they | | | | Now what did all that thinking accomplish outside of |
| are, simply speaking, dead horses. | | | | raising the blood pressure? For most, all it did was to |
| Dead horse riding is a symptom of limited or | | | | keep the individual tied to the issue and failed to |
| restrictive thinking. This is where we hear such | | | | provide a proactive exit solution. |
| phrases as: | | | | Since the U.S. just celebrated the Fourth of July, |
| - If it ain't broken, why fix it? | | | | imagine for a moment over 230 years ago what |
| - If it was good enough for my employees 20 years | | | | would have happened if our Founding Fathers |
| ago, it is still good today. | | | | suffered from dead horse thinking? Would we have |
| - If they don't like it here, go somewhere else! | | | | the track record of results that no other nation has |
| Of course, if we always did what we have always | | | | ever achieved within the same time frame? |
| done we would always get the same results. Thanks | | | | The current year is half over. Maybe now is the time |
| heavens those thoughts have changed otherwise we | | | | to take inventory of any dead horses you in |
| would still be bartering in the open air food mart, | | | | management are riding. If you are thinking, you |
| living in caves, thinking the world was flat and | | | | cannot afford to dismount, I can tell you that you |
| traveling hundreds of miles on live horses or on foot. | | | | cannot afford to stay seated where you are |
| This restrictive thinking can infect an entire | | | | especially in today's whirlwind marketplace. |