Merriam- Webster defines “Sacred Cows” as – one that is often unreasonably immune from criticism or opposition. The Britannica says it’s someone or something that has been accepted or respected for a long time and that people are afraid or unwilling to criticize or question.
The term seems to have originated in America in the late 19th century and is based on the common perception of the lofty position cows have in Hinduism. The Jewish tradition also frowns at the practice of cooking calf (cow) flesh with cow’s milk as they are given sincere respect and genuine care, hence, the term SACRED COW or SACRED BULL.
In the popular fable, a sacred cow is immune from persecution. They cannot be harmed or killed because they are considered to be holy. In business however, sacred cows may actually stand in the way of progress and growth. In fact, anything that prevents your business from growing has become a sacred cow. When there is so much focus on cutting costs to survive the recession and accelerate growth again when it ends, you could argue that every cost is sacred — which means nothing can be a sacred cow. Still, businesses have them: those immovable assets with vested interests and hidden costs that keep them from moving forward with their business plan, those policies and strategies that no longer deliver on the goals and objectives of the company, those personnel that have been with the company for several years, many times they started the business with the owner, they have withstood staff downsizing and economic/business recessions and have now become insubordinate, bullies and yet won’t be laid off for one reason or another. No matter how large or small your company is, there are always things and sometimes people that are not helping you grow at the pace you should be growing, and not just in our company but also in our personal lives. A good example of a ‘Sacred Cow’ in our country and government today is SUBSIDY.
A good manager identifies these obstacles and works out solutions to neutralize them as soon as possible. The following 5 tips will help you identify your own company’s potential “sacred cows” and neutralize them as soon as possible:
Yes, it’s a cliché, but there’s a reason clichés exist. If you aren’t sure what your sacred cows are, you will never be able to get rid of them. Sacred cows are things and individuals that people have a hard time changing, no matter how much sense it would make to do so. You can’t make changes until you know what needs to be addressed. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. The first step to growth is to understand the current state of your company so you can visualize where you want to go.
If you assign a cost to everything, you will be better able to identify your sacred cows. This may sound crazy, but you need to assign a cost to everything you do and everything you have if you want to know where it’s better to cut back. Assign a cost to your assets and inventory; to your employees’ salaries and benefits; and to the intangible assets, policies and strategies that affect your business. Once you assign a cost to everything, you will be able to see exactly where you have room to make sacrifices. Categorizing your assets and inventory by value and frequency of use will show you which ones are most valuable to your business. Assigning a value to your employees will help you identify which are worth retaining and which can be let go. Assigning a value to your intangible assets will allow you to determine which ones are worth investing in and which should be let go.
Be ruthless in getting rid of all the waste in your company. Not only will this help you increase your profits, but it will also give you room to make necessary changes in the rest of the business. Getting rid of the waste may mean changing your strategy, reducing your staff, or changing your product line. Identify where the waste is and get rid of it. The easiest way to waste money is to continue doing what you’re doing when it’s no longer worthwhile. If a strategy makes sense, keep using it. If it’s outgrown its usefulness, it’s a waste. In times like these, it’s easy for companies to stay in survival mode and never get out. Survival mode can cause managers to continue spending money on things that are no longer profitable. Get out of survival mode as soon as possible so you can start making money again. Once you are in a position to make money again, you’ll be in better position to invest in the future of your business.
It’s hard to change the things you can’t see. Sometimes the biggest obstacles to growth are the things that are right in front of you. For example, if there is a lack of trust in your company, employees may hesitate to get creative or take risks. If customer service is poor, customers will go somewhere else. If there is too much focus on cost-cutting, employees may not feel empowered to make decisions that could increase revenue and profit. Culture is the way people do things around you. It’s the way your employees interact with each other and with customers. Change the things you can in your culture. Change the way people work together. Change the language people use. Change the metrics they’re rewarded for. You can’t change everything, but you can change some things.
You may know what your biggest obstacles are and how to get rid of them, but don’t stop there. Every obstacle you encounter has a reason for being there. You may not know what the reason is, but there’s a reason for everything, even if you don’t know what it is. Often, the reason for an obstacle is because there is a fear, misunderstanding, or misalignment that is keeping it in place. Get to the root of the problem. Find out why the obstacle is there. Only then can you remove it and move forward. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know what it is. In times like these, where businesses are struggling, it’s easy to blame everything on the economy. That’s only part of the story. There is always a reason for an obstacle, even if you don’t know what it is. Don’t stop until you know why something is a cow.
I’ve been working as a professional for 12 years; I’ve had the honor of consulting as an inventory management for big private companies, medium, small and micro companies as well as notable publicly traded corporations. I have consulted for businesses of various sizes, complexities and sectors and I have continually encountered this particular dilemma. Don’t get me wrong, Sacred Cows (the employees) are good at what they do, however, they come with a great deal of negativity, insubordination and complications. Many a time the company is unnecessarily scared of losing them due to some secret they hold about the company or some very important duty they believe can only be done by the Sacred Cow. And the sacred policies and strategies are obsolete; they no longer meet the demands of today’s business environment.
In conclusion, when all is said and done, the most important thing to keep in mind is that nothing is a sacred cow unless you choose to make it one. No matter how difficult it gets, there are always ways to make your business more profitable. There are always ways to make things run more efficiently. And there are always ways to improve your product or service. So be sure to identify your sacred cows, assign a cost to them, and get rid of all the waste that’s holding you back. Then, change what you can in your culture, and don’t stop until you know why something is a cow. With these 5 tips in mind, you’ll be able to neutralize most of the obstacles that are standing in the way of your business growth.
