How To Ride A Dead Horse

I was reviewing my files the other day and came across an item that brought a smile and thought I’d share it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy and likely wince at least once as several thoughts come too close for comfort.

Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. In business and our personal lives we often try other strategies with dead horses. How many of these have you been guilty of over the years?

  Buy a stronger whip.

  Change riders.

  Threaten the horse with termination.

  Say things like, “This is the way we have always ridden this horse.”

  Appoint a committee to study the horse.

  Conduct a competitive review to see how others are riding dead horses.

   Lower the performance indicators so that dead horses can be included.

   Appoint a team to revive the dead horse.

   Ride the dead horse “outside the box.”

   Compare the state of dead horses in today’s environment.

  Name the dead horse “Paradigm Shift” and keep riding it.

   Ride the dead horse “smarter” not harder.

  Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.

  Call the dead horse a “joint venture” and let others ride it.

  Provide additional funding to increase the horse’s performance.

The above list is just the tip of the iceberg.  I’m sure you could add several other thoughts and actions.  Ask yourself, “Are we trying to ride any dead horses ourselves?” Which are they?