Corporate Blinders

Ever seen a horse racing towards the finish line, a harder gallop with every whip of the jockey jumping excitedly over him? With blinders restricting its view of the applauding crowd and competing horses, I wonder if it enjoys the race as much as those who bet on it or those that drive it towards its goal.


Sounds quite familiar in the corporate world too, isn’t it? Time and again, organizations expect things to be done in a set way, leaving little tolerance for deviations. Why are things done that way? Ahem, because they have always been done that way! Why shouldn’t I try something new? Because you are not expected to. Thou shall not tread the unbeaten track! Hell, why? Because I hold the whip! And of course, people who bet on me expect me to win, not enjoy the race.


The result – Same old, boring deliverables, absolutely no differentiation, whether in the market place or the work place. After all, the jockeys and their commandments remain the same. But then, the daring few (often labeled mavericks) who do break the mould go on to create corporate history, and naturally reap dividends. But that’s only in the long run. You can’t really win a 100 meter sprint if you don’t run with focus on your track, versus the marathon, where you can enjoy the passing views, while staying on course.


The blinder metaphor is arguably more pronounced in B2B industries than B2C. While the risks are higher, it doesn’t hurt to try out something new once in a while. Hasn’t Cisco managed it so effectively? Since when were networking products so glamorous? Check out their campaigns on their website, or their community on Cisco Live their user conference. Microsoft, Google, IBM are up there in the same league. And while they do have a B2C connection too, their B2B programs have been equally unconventional off late. Imagine the fate of these brands, had they not opened up their blinders yet. Of course, it has a lot to do with their jockeys too, who allowed them to do so in the first place and full credit to their management for reposing their faith despite age old wisdom advising against it.

And they have been rightly rewarded too. Not just in their stock prices and revenues and profits, but even in terms of the audience that now consider their solutions. My marketing genes tempt me to throw in a few jargons – read a wider addressable market instead of audience :) And who wouldn’t want to work for such cool companies! Or continuing the metaphor, run for these jockeys!


I am sure you have also come across similar blinders in your work life. Feel free to share here.




PS: Please ignore the watermark on the corporate carrot image.