Because that’s how it’s always been done
I remember reading once that if an employee responded to a question posed by Steve Jobs with “because that’s how we’ve always done it,” that they would be fired. That kind of primitive and limited thinking not only thwarts innovation, but ultimately does us all harm.Let’s take the Atlanta Braves right fielder, Jason Heyward. Having a fast pitch straight to his jaw comes at what I hope is the end of a rash of an eye-for-an-eye acting out between major league teams lately. My husband and I got into a heated argument about it: I said, “It’s immoral! It’s un-Christian! It’s very poor sportsmanship!” He laughed it off and said, “It’s just baseball; this is how they have always done things.” I retorted, “Don’t ever say that to me ever again. It’s not a reason to do anything.”
I once had a boss who pretended that I had autonomy in my dealings with our clients, but always found a way to freak out when she realized that I had done something innovative (that inevitably worked better than the old way and made the client very happy). Guess what line she used in her defense. You guessed it! Once exasperated by this predictable routine, I surprised myself by exclaiming, “But it doesn’t make any sense!”
So many things that we do as individuals and as groups don’t make sense, but are done out of an unconscious habit. Think: fighting over land in the Gaza strip, the never-ending conflict of the Montagues and the Capulets, or some habit you have that drives you and those around you crazy.
There is always going to be collateral damage to doing things as they have always been done even when it doesn’t make any sense. Think: Jason Heyward, Romeo and Juliet, the citizens of Israel and Palestine.
So I urge you, wonderful reader, to take a fresh look at some old habits that may not make sense anymore and be very open to another way.
Photo courtesy of 11 Alive News Atlanta
