We’ve always done it like that! – By Arnie Wohlgemut
Now I would bet that every manager has heard that at least once in his career: “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it!”
This thinking is based on the premise that it presumably has worked in the past!
This example in Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths & Total Nonsense (a great book, by the way) really struck me….
Suppose you went to a doctor who said, “I’m going to do an appendectomy on you.” When you asked why, the doctor answered, “because I did one on my last patient and it made him better.”
I think you would not be happy and promptly leave that office – because you know that the treatment ought to fit the disease, regardless of whether or not the treatment helped the previous patient.
Strangely, that logical thought process happens more often than we might care to admit in our businesses and in our communities. We blindly follow others’ advise or simply repeat history.
In this changing world, the process ought to fit the market or the customers needs regardless of whether or not the old process worked.
It requires us to know the foundational principles of management, leadership and human behaviour and apply that knowledge to tailor a custom process for each unique situation.
If you’re hoping to grow your business – what got you here won’t get you there.
Think about this the next time someone says “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” and reach out to someone with proven experience and leadership knowledge to help you develop a solution-oriented mind-set.