journal entry today
Bridges can be burned — but the bridge is still there – Even if some are afraid to cross it.
Water has all flowed under it. I wait for you to cross, to see me again, instead of your illusion.
But do we need to burn them at all? Did we ever actually burn it?
The bridge was never burned. The fire was imaginary.
Lessons learned are like
Bridges burned
You only need to cross them but once
Is the knowledge gained
Worth the price of the pain?
Are the spoils worth the cost of the hunt?— Dan Fogelberg
Method
When you have made a change, ensure that there is no way back to previous ways of working.
Example
A company that is moving to a new low-cost operational model fires its high-cost sales force, sells its fancy headquarters and moves to a plain and simple out-of-town low-cost factory.
An organization that is instituting new software deletes the old software from the system, thus forcing people to use the new software.
Discussion
When changes are instituted, it is not uncommon for people to seek ways to go back the old way of working, particularly after the eagle eye of change agents have moved onto change projects anew.
‘Burning bridges’ is a deliberate way of preventing any backsliding by removing any method by which people can go back. This can be a bold move when you are not sure whether what you are doing will succeed. It does, however concentrate minds, and managers who may be not fully committed to the change are now strongly motivated to continue.
In warfare, burning a bridge behind you stops any thought of retreat and forces you to advance. (Note that ‘burning bridges’ is not the same as ‘scorched earth’, which is a tactic used by defenders who burn and destroy crops and other items as they retreat, giving the attacker no way of feeding their advancing army).
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