Many years ago in a small East Tennessee community, a small general store made buggy whips in the back as a side item. They were hand crafted and made of the best leather. If you were to be anyone, you had to own one of these whips. Soon the word spread to surrounding communities and people drove their horse and buggy for miles to come purchase “the” whip. Soon the small general store had to expand to just to keep up with the demand. Eventually, someone from one of those mail order catalog places found out about these whips and made a visit.

The general store faded away as the entire building became the factory for these whips. These whips were now shipped all over the country and some even to England. As time passed, the horseless carriage began to make a move in to society. At this point, one of the younger sons of the owner of the buggy whip company said to his dad, “We need to look at expanding and changing our business.” The dad looked at his son and said “Don’t worry son, we have always done it this way.” In summary, the whip factory closed and no one can even remember where it was located.

The “We have always have done it this way” concept of doing things leads many people down the road of wasting time. People do this because they have become familiar and comfortable with certain procedures and tasks and any change provides a certain level of fear of failure. The unknown and the lack of motivation keep most people doing the same thing over and over, even if the items or task are outdated and or even unnecessary.

Go to the people doing task and chores and ask them what is a waste of time. Don’t ask unless you are willing to make a change. Get ready; they will have a list. Conduct a brainstorming session. Look at different ways of doing things. Test new ideas. Make sure you give them an honest chance to succeed. Another test, if the customer were looking over your shoulder, would they pay you for what you were doing?

Some things don’t need changed. Some things are better done the same way because they are the best. We all get lucky and create a few of those along the way. A blind hog eventually finds an acorn. But, it is always good to listen and look for the next best thing coming along. Don’t you wish you had thought of Post-It-Notes or something called Windows?