Sacred cows in companies | Appreciating instead of slaughtering

Sacred cows in companies: Honoring instead of slaughtering

Where do they not occur? Sentences like: "We've always done it this way!" Or: "That's not possible because ...!" You can react to such statements in different ways: You can ignore them, argue against them or accept them. But you can also reflect on them and examine their useful but possibly outdated content - with a "holy cow" on the meeting table.

6 steps for dealing with the "sacred cow"

First step: Acceptance

The "sacred cow" is a tried and tested metaphor for this purpose. If such a "sacred cow" is placed on the meeting table as a symbol, a humorous point can be made to indicate that the current rejection may be an old, outdated rule. This makes the "holy cow" discussable - and with
a serious lightness of touch. This means you don't have to point the finger at the colleague who has just raised the same objection for the umpteenth time, but you can cleverly point to the metaphor.

Second step: Identify

Once the "sacred cow" has been introduced and accepted in an appreciative manner, the reflection process can begin. Whenever a person has the impression that a "sacred cow"
has just "crept" into the discussion, they can simply point to the symbol (instead of the person).

Third step: Positioning

Together we discuss the time in which the old rule and thus the "holy cow" was created.

Fourth step: Appreciate

Two important questions are answered here: "What conditions shaped the work at the time?" And: "What meaning or constructive function did the 'sacred cow' have at the time?"

Fifth step: change

Once the "sacred cow" has been appreciated in this way, the final step follows. The focus is now on three key questions: "What framework conditions characterize the work
today?", "What sense should a current new rule fulfill today?" and finally: "What could a helpful new rule be?"

Sixth step: Implementation