You can do a Google
search on this quote, but the results on its origin are ambiguous. Most likely, it is a Native American tribal
saying popularized by leadership gurus like Peter Drucker. The meaning, of course, is clear. When something no longer work, it is time to move
on.
This is easier said
than done. In business and industry,
abandoning a project may mean the loss of jobs and capital investment. In education, old approaches must be
unlearned and new ways learned. In the
church, there may be some fear that we are giving up part of what makes us faithful
when we end a program, ministry, worship service, or building. It is not only about change, but loss as
well.
R. Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things
by fighting the existing reality. To
change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” So what do you do when the existing model is
already obsolete? You had better get to
work on an alternative!
Of
course, it is important for people to face reality first. The old no longer works. People need to honor
the past but get ready to invest in the future.
We can come up with a new way of doing things but we need to get to work
now.
A
sense of urgency is not a bad thing.
Knowing that we only have a short time to come up with something new
challenges our creativity and builds community.
Of course, some will not be willing to do this hard work and probably will
leave rather than deal with the tension. Honor their choice but don’t regret their
leaving.
Finally,
sometimes quick fixes are only temporary and are only the first step to a more
sustainable existence. Hold the new
approaches rather lightly. Experience
and learning may well push to the next level of innovation.
Getting
off the dead horse is good advice. Finding a new horse will take some work.
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