Herding Cats is a popular advertisement that is often used to illustrate the complexity of managing business change. We think it’s about people and destination.
Cat Herders is a popular advertisement that is often used to illustrate the complexity of managing business change.
Cat Herders Is About the Destination
But I think people regularly lose the most important point about cat herders.
Herding cats isn’t a race.
Business change is not a competition, and the prize isn’t always about getting across the finish line first.
Business change projects are rather like a cattle drive, where the goal is to complete the journey in time and with the herd reaching its destination in tip-top condition. It is a commercial undertaking.
It is about achieving your goals.
Cat herders complete the drive in stages and exercise control, so everyone makes progress together. What’s more, the trail boss takes stock after each shift. But I won’t take the analogy too far, I’ll leave that to the video.
