Do you remember the scene in the movie Wedding Crashers when Will Ferrell was talking with Owen Wilson in the living room of his mother’s house? During the conversation, Ferrell would periodically scream, “Ma, the meatloaf!” I bring this up because I feel like screaming that same phrase all the time. But not for the reason you may think (even though meatloaf is delicious).
Let me explain.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was in the kitchen cooking with her mother; they were making meatloaf. Right before they put the meatloaf in the oven, the mother takes a knife and chops off the ends of the meatloaf. So the little girl asks, “Mom, why did you do that?” The mother replies, “I’m not sure sweetheart, that’s how I learned to do it. That’s what your grandmother always did.” Curious why she wasn’t able to explain this to her daughter, the mother decides to get grandma on the phone to ask why she did this. When asked the question about the meatloaf, grandma starts chuckling and says, “Well I don’t know why you guys do it, but I had to chop the ends off so it would fit into my pan!”
So it can fit into the pan.
How many organizations do you think have policies or procedures that no longer make sense, but for some reason they keep doing them? How many times have you hear the phrase, “Because that’s how we’ve always done it”? Does that sound like an innovative group? Or even better question, do you think that phrase is ever uttered at, say, Apple or Tesla? Sometimes organizations forget to reflect, and when there’s no reflection, that’s when organizations will begin to spin their wheels.
Today more than ever, innovation should be the driving force for every organization, regardless of what industry it’s in. Competitors are out there constantly trying to figure out ways to be better than you, so to sit back and react to industry trends means your organization is playing from behind. To be the best, you need to leapfrog those trends like Apple has demonstrated (more so under Steve Jobs than now). Prior to the iPad coming out, do you think Apple was trying to figure out how to make a faster or better computer or iPod? No. They were dumping money into Research and Development to try and come out with something that would eventually create an entirely new industry segment, the tablet!
So question everything. Why does your organization do what it does? Does this make sense for us? Is there a purpose for it? Bring things up in conversation and if no one has a good reason for doing something, get rid of it! Don’t let nonsense get passed down from generation to generation in your organization. Start investing in innovation rather than just sitting in maintenance mode. Your customers will thank you.
Imagine the possibilities.
Let me know what you think. Tweet me with hash tag #BusinessMeatloaf and tell me if you agree or not.