Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Ready People and Organizations [SACRED COWS MAKE THE BEST BURG]

by Robert J. Kriegel

CHANGE. For most of us, change in a work context means more – more work, more uncertainty, more mistakes, more anxiety and a more emotionally-charged work environment. And for good reason! Change brings about times of flux. Times when the future is uncertain, and the payoff unknown. But here’s the ultimate truth – change is one of two things; either reactive or proactive. Change is not an option. It hasn’t been in over 25 years. Change is the lifeblood of your business. To keep ahead of the competition – both as an individual and as a part of an organization – you must be changing; as quickly and as intelligently as you can. Competition is fierce like never before. For those who resist change – those who feel the anxiety and uncertainty of change weighing down on them – these are unhappy times. Business landscapes are changing at breakneck speeds, and show no signs of slowing down. In fact, the rate of change seems to be speeding up. Here’s the good news. Change doesn't have to be anxiety ridden. It doesn't have to be more work, and while it will almost always be emotionally charged, what if Change brought feelings of passion and excitement rather than fear and resistance? In their landmark book, Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers bestselling authors Robert Kriegel and David Brandt explore the cause and effects of Change in the workplace, and lay out beautifully – wittily and with major impact – how to develop change-ready people and organizations. Starting with you.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Buisness

Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Dennis Henn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors may have milked the idea dry by the halfway point of the book.
The best parts of the book are the many examples from the business world of how sacred cows trample our business pastures and how sending the cows to the butcher can enhance our business. Nothing in the book can make you more visionary. Some parts may enable you to be more reactionary. So recruit a visionary if you hope to succeed. Know that we are creatures of habit who memorialize the good old days. The church, particularly, labors under this enshrinement.
Best chapters may be Turning Resistance into Drivability and Motivating People to Change.

[Xavier University Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

business model for nontraditonal business or at least change process within an agency. provides a good insight into the stuff that holds us back from creating and embracing changes to organization structure

[John Robben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would prefer to give this 3.5- there’s some good stuff I this book and it’s an easy read.

[Michael Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Familiar concept. Now dated, but still applicable

[Sandie Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting perspective on business models, I rather enjoyed it, probably because I have a few of my own sacred cows 🐄

[Julianne Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently finished "Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations", recommended by Bob Gee for my #2014ReadingChallenge. While this was published in the 90s, the main premise is still very relevant. We all have holy habits that we accept as unchangeable and we don't regularly re-evaluate their usefulness and efficiency, both as individuals and as organizations. Like most business books, the case studies are outdated and I know that some of these businesses have since closed. It would be interesting to see an update from the authors that analyzes what caused those businesses to fail and if those causes were related to this book's principles.

[Adrian Royce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sacred Cows has some good messages in it but has a feeling of datedness leading to what amounts to be a shallow read nowadays. Issues brought about by "sacred cows" are now being very effectively dealt with by other strategies not touched on in the book. The sacred cows also tend to overlap making the first part of the book overly long. That being said it is a very easy read and on some levels entertaining. The text should be revised by its authors to make it more relevant in the modern corporate world.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing when you read from a book and wonder how they got all the inside info our your own company. The benefit of this book is to encourage constructive challenges to the corporate lethargic actions strapped to habit for no reason. It's ok to challenge the norm, in fact for health we have to.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who wants to lead or change an organization. Business examples are old now, but the concepts still apply. Easily applicable across businesses.

[Unit of Raine · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better change/management books I've read. While the examples are slightly dated, the advice is still good.

[Jim Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a great read whether you are a business owner or you want to be a valuable member of a team within a business.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and insightful read that provides some ideas for dealing with obstacles in corporate culure.

[Shahid Khan]

Interesting read, few lessons learned and applied to this day to delight customers.