Management Speak

Management Issue: What do you do when the horse you are riding dies?

Here are some of my “Strategic Answers”:

• Convene a Senior Management Team meeting to devise a Strategic Plan and Vision Statement for the dead horse.

• Engage an external consultant to conduct a ‘process consultancy’ on the dead horse.

• Engage a coach/mentor for the dead horse. Give this project an acronym, eg, DHWP – Dead Horse Whisperer Project.

• ‘Re-engineer’ the dead horse.

•  Arrange to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.

•  Identify core competencies of dead horses.

•  Appoint a HR Business Partner to support the dead horse.

•  Implement training sessions to increase employees  riding ability.

•  Divide riders into Matrix Riding groups.

•  Commission an executive search for a Chief Executive Rider whose core competency is riding dead horses.

•  Compare the state of dead horses with today’s environment.

•  ‘Stick to the knitting’ on the dead horse.

•  Harness several dead horses together to try to increase speed.

•  Go ‘in search of excellence’ re techniques for riding dead horses.

•  Provide additional funding to try to increase dead horse’s speed.

•  Contemporary re-branding of dead horse. Eg, “Dead Sea Biscuit”

•  Do a cost analysis to see if others can ride the dead horse more cheaply.

• Conduct an ‘agility’ study on the dead horse.

•  Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.

•  Conduct a 360 appraisal on the dead horse.

•  Devise a Sustainability Plan for the dead horse.

•  Get accreditation for Investors in Dead Horses.

• Conduct an audit on who stole the dead horse’s cheese.

• Promote the rider of the dead horse.

• And finally, one for the faith-based sector, pray for God to heal the dead horse.

An old Dakota tribal wisdom says, “When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount”.

Which goes to show… the old ones are the best ones.

Please post your suggestions below!