I DON’T WANT TO TASTE IT…

…because I don’t know what it tastes like.” That line comes from a Silk Almond milk ad. When it comes to food, it reminds me of me. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food—not much for exotic sauces or spices (except chili, of course). Give it to me “straight up.” I suppose I am missing out on a lot of tasty dishes, but we have fewer pots and pans to wash and I’m sure not wasting away at my waistline.

That attitude may be okay for food preferences, but it is fatal for organizations whether businesses, churches, schools or whatever. “I don’t want to change” is a sure route to unemployment, early forced retirement, declining sales, lower enrollment, or aging congregations.

Need examples?

Kodak invented digital photography but they didn’t taste it because their #1 sales/profit machine was film.

Just a few years ago, Blackberry owned the smartphone market (60% market share) but they wouldn’t taste a touch-screen keyboard, so today, Blackberry is irrelevant.

A couple of current examples are:

In 2015, Millennials will be the largest generation in the workforce and the smallest generation in churches. Organizations better taste and like or get ready for high turnover (because you can’t lead Millennials like Boomers), or empty pews (because they won’t stick with a 1990’s or 80’s or 70’s style church).

Women now lead (as the CEO) 26 Fortune 500 corporations including mega-corps GM, IBM, Lockheed, Hewlett-Packard, Pepsi, and Oracle. If you are part of “good ol’ boy” organization and don’t like how that tastes, you’ll go the way of the dinosaurs within a generation.

I don’t know what your organization’s Silk Almond taste challenge is, but you probably have one. If you are the leader, it’s your job to taste it. If you don’t…. (I wonder if I can buy a thimbleful of Silk Almond milk?)

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