There is a piece of wisdom from a Native American tribe in Dakota, USA, passed down through generations:
"When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to get off."
However, some organizations and institutions often resort to various techniques and strategies that they believe are better for dealing with their dead horse, such as:
- 1- Buying a stronger whip for the leader.
- 2- Changing the rider who is riding the dead horse.
- 3- Threatening the dead horse with termination of service.
- 4- Appointing a committee to study the state of the dead horse.
- 5- Visiting other organizations to see how they ride their dead horses.
- 6- Lowering evaluation standards for dead horses.
- 7- Reclassifying the dead horse as "alive but with mobility challenges."
- 8- Contracting foreign riders to ride the dead horse.
- 9- Creating competition between the dead horse and a group of other dead horses to develop its performance.
- 10- Developing a training and development plan for the dead horse.
- 11- Restructuring productivity standards to improve and raise the efficiency of the dead horse.
- 12- Boasting that the dead horse saves on costs because it doesn't need to be fed, unlike other horses that require food expenses.
- 13- Reframing the performance requirements expected of other horses to fit the dead horse.
Conclusion:
Wisdom lies in knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Riding a dead horse does not make it alive; instead, it wastes your energy and time.
The courage to abandon what is no longer effective opens doors to new opportunities and better innovations. Remember that admitting failure is not the end of the road, but the start of a new path toward success.
When you face a dead horse in your life, remember the ancient wisdom: Dismounting is the best strategy.