Sacred Cows behind Invisible Fences

Okay, well Sacred Cows aren't really pets, but this quirky comic from Non Sequitur cartoonist Wiley Miller got me thinking about how often managers treat certain outdated policies, procedures, and long-standing decisions - a.k.a. Sacred Cows - AS pets. That'd be one big-honkin' (big-moo'in?!) pet cemetery, now, wouldn't it? And it'd be filled with bazillions of living Sacred Cows.

Miller's pet cemetery is ironically protected by an invisible fence. Very clever. Imagine, then, that all of those living-Sacred-Cow-pets out there have invisible fences around them. It's not that implausible. After all, Sacred-Cow-pets MUST be protected ... they surely can't survive on their own merits. Imagine offices, everywhere, brimming with invisible fences protecting all sorts of living-Sacred-Cow-pets! No wonder cubicles feel so cramped.

The interesting coffee break conversation, then, is this: What Sacred Cows do we have around here and how can we get rid of them?

Not sure where your Sacred Cows are? Just nose around a bit and see where you get zapped by an invisible fence! That'll be the clue.