Too Big to Fail? Who Says?
Why smart managers ask better questions
The business world is awash with unquestioned truths. These aren’t the same as clichés. Unquestioned ‘truths’, those throwaway lines that sound wise, end up guiding decisions, tactics, strategy, and even culture.
Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. How many companies have said, “We’re too big to fail”, only to fail spectacularly?
Others have followed the mantra, “It’s important to diversify”, only to diversify themselves into irrelevance. Or they’ve clung to “A business grows or it dies”, which has pushed more than a few organisations into reckless expansion and eventual collapse.
There are plenty of ways to question these received truths, ideally in the right way, at the right time, but the most important question you can ask is this:
Who says?
As a subversive manager, you need to be alert to the risks of decisions based on slogans or half-examined beliefs masquerading as universal wisdom. When you hear one, pause and ask: Who says?
Check the context. Check the logic. Is this idea still valid in this situation? Is it based on evidence or just habit? You might just save your organisation millions, or at least help your team avoid the fallout.
And even if you can’t change the course of leadership thinking, your awareness can help your team survive the storm that’s coming.