How to ride a dead horse?

The best way to ride a dead horse is to dismount it!

It seems a stupid question. Yet, organizations have many initiatives that do not yield results and consume precious resources. Most often, the following actions are taken:

1. Find a consultant who can revive the horse.

2. Find a super-employee who has experience working with dead horses.

3. Appoint a committee to study the behavior of the team and the horse.

4. Add a strong horse to the cart alongside the dead.

5. Give a motivational talk to the team working with the dead horse.

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There are many such actions taken....... The result is a frustrated team, a failing organization, and many more dead horses.

In this book, The Lean Startup, Eric Ries emphasizes the importance of pivoting. It is knowing when to give up on an initiative and move on. Every organization needs to think like a VC. It has to invest in an initiative wholeheartedly. But be ready to cut losses on things that are not working so that they can focus on the winners.

Subodh