Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations [Paperback]

Robert Kriegel (Author), David Brandt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

Sacred cows--outdated and costly business practices such as the reports that are never read or a slow-down of innovative ideas--exist in every company. Inspired by insights gained from more than 450 programs conducted with all types of organizations, the authors of SACRED COWS MAKE THE BEST BURGERS show how corporations can kill off the sacred cows that are crippling them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Kriegel, Ph.D. is a psychologist and a trailblazer in the science of human performance. He is the author of If It Ain't Broke... BREAK IT!

David Brandt, Ph.D. is a nationally renowned speaker and psychologist, and the author of Don't Stop Now, You're Killing Me.

Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books, Inc.; 1st edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446672602
• ISBN-13: 978-0446672603
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Business & Investing > Organizational Behavior > Organizational Change

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real-life examples make this book a winner!, March 29, 2003

By 

Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations (Paperback)

Robert J. Kriegel is rapidly becoming one of my favorite
business authors . . . I've previously enjoyed two of
his other books, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
WITHOUT WORKING SO HARD and IF IT AIN'T BROKE,
BREAK IT . . . so I figured it was time to get hold of
one of his earlier efforts, SACRED COWS MAKE THE BEST
BURGERS--written with David Brandt.

I was definitely not disappointed!

Kriegel and Brandt examine why people cling to outmoded
beliefs, practices and processes as if their lives depended
on them . . . but more importantly, they present ways to
inspire a desire to bring in the new.

I particularly liked the use of real-life examples . . . although the book was written in 1996, it is still amazingly current; i.e., most of the ideas the authors present still make sense today . . . also, they can be applied to virtually any size or type of organization.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
* But you'll actually do more and better by learning to slow down when everything around you is speeding up. John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach who won an unprecedented 10 national championships, offers this advice: "Be quick, but don't hurry. If you hurry you make mistakes."

* You may not be a beginner, but you can learn how to think like one. Take real estate agent Michael Young, for instance. He was his company's most successful agent in northern California but he couldn't make the leap from
selling houses in [one price range] range to those[in a higher price range]and up.

"I don't get it, " he said. "I'm using the same prospecting strategies, making calls in the evening to people at home, giving them advice and telling them about the market, and I'm in the same marketplace. But it's not working."

"Think like a beginner, forget your old strategies, start fresh," we advised him. "Look at the business like you're a novice. What can you do to break into this market?"

Instead of competing with other brokers, Young spotted an untapped opportunity in the high-end market. He discovered that many listings expire before the house is sold. So he developed a strategy for buying old listings and sharing commissions. The technique brought in so much business that he formed the Michael Young Company in San Francisco. Now brokers
call him unsolicited.

Want to know something? We're all in the same position as Young. You may think your market is the same as it was last year. But it's not. Everything is changing: people's life and work styles, their jobs, their expectations, their attitudes, their family situations-everything. And technological
advances have only accelerated the situation.

With business in a perpetual state of flux, we need to keep reinventing our game plan every six months. To do that we have to look at things through fresh eyes.

* [Sam] Walton had 10 rules of success, most of which revolve around giving great service, top-quality products, and treating you people right. But it's his 10th rule that sets him apart from his competitors. Walton called it the most important one: Break the rules.

If all of your competitors are doing it one way, Mr. Sam used to say, "do it exactly the opposite," and that's where you'll get the edge.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting "Unstuck", January 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations (Paperback)

The authors illustrate ways in which remaining "stuck" in a given mode of thinking about your business, your mission, and your customers can lead to missed opportunities for growth and success. The book won't tell you where to find "stuck thinking" in your organization, but it gives an interesting array of anecdotes which are helpful in expaning one's thinking about the normal, everyday processes we take for granted. An excellent resource for managers and others who feel their organization is "stuck."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bible for every person experiencing change., March 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations (Paperback)

This book is a must-have book for every person in todays changing world. Most books on change tell you how to lead change but this is the only book that tells you how to handle change in your professional and personal life whether you are in charge or not. It doesn't just spout off trendy terms, like "team management" and "reengineering". It shows you when and how to apply these processes. I believe in this book so much that I bought one for every member of my staff.