Perhaps There is a Reason Why

The other day I heard a man state he was very proud because his staff never said, "We've never done it that way." All of us know what he meant by that and yet I hoped he does not automatically associate the new with the good.

Placed in a different light, "We've never done it that way" is an indirect compliment to the judgment of past management. Were they dull? Did the idea never cross their desks? Perhaps not.

The statement does not necessarily mean "So let's not consider it." It can mean, "Let's study it with an open mind but also with an open eye as to why it may not have been done." That is not mindless resistance. It is sound decision making.