Sacred Cows Make Tasty Burgers
Why healthy organizations refuse to live in the past
“Sacred cows make tasty burgers.”
That phrase — often attributed to Mark Twain and Abbie Hoffman — captures an uncomfortable leadership truth:
What once made an organization successful can eventually become the very thing holding it back.
Most organizations don’t fail because they change too much.
They fail because they change too late — or because they implement change so poorly that people stop trusting leadership.
That tension sits at the heart of leadership.
🔎 Why it matters:
The world is changing faster than most organizations are willing — or able — to adapt.
Markets shift. Technology accelerates. Teams evolve. Customer expectations change. Culture changes.
Yet many organizations remain tied to systems, assumptions, and habits built for yesterday’s realities.
John Kotter once argued that a leader’s primary responsibility is moving people and organizations from Point A to Point B. In other words, leadership is fundamentally about change.
But many leaders drift toward one of two extremes:
- resisting needed change altogether, or
- forcing change abruptly without wisdom, trust, or process.
Both are costly.
⚠️ The deeper problem:
Most established organizations were designed for:
- efficiency,
- predictability,
- consistency,
- control.
Not agility.
And people naturally resist uncertainty.
Even when change is necessary, it can trigger:
- fear of loss,
- fear of failure,
- fear of conflict,
- fear of instability.
Kotter’s more recent research describes this as an overheated “Survive” response and an underdeveloped “Thrive” response. Fear narrows people toward protection and control, while vision and opportunity expand creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
That’s why change leadership requires far more than strategy.
It requires courage.
🥩 The “sacred cow” problem:
One of the greatest dangers in leadership is that yesterday’s success can quietly become today’s obstacle.
Old systems.
Old assumptions.
Old leadership habits.
Old ways of communicating.
Old methods that once produced results.
Many organizations keep doing what once worked long after it has stopped serving the mission.
As Stewart Black observed, we often prefer doing the “old wrong things well” rather than the “new right things poorly.”
That’s negative inertia.
And inertia is powerful.
📖 A deeper truth
When God’s people suffered from stagnation and addiction to old, faithless ways, he lifted their eyes to a hopeful future.
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
💡 What healthy leaders understand:
Healthy leaders know that wise change is not about chasing trends or creating disruption for disruption’s sake.
Wise change leadership:
- honors the past,
- faces reality honestly,
- releases what no longer serves the mission,
- and helps people move toward a better future together.
The goal is not reckless change.
Nor is it fearful preservation.
The goal is courageous, wise movement forward.
➡️ Bottom line:
Leadership always involves movement.
And the strongest leaders are not the ones who protect comfort at all costs.
They are the ones with the courage to confront reality, let go of outdated patterns, and guide people toward what’s next — with wisdom, trust, and hope.
What “sacred cow” might be limiting your business or organization today?
If I can help you or your team navigate needed change with clarity and trust, I’d love to come alongside you. Email me at mailto:doug@7872leaders.com
Or contact me here: https://7872leaders.com/contact/
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