TRAPPSTR

Burn your red coats

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by Brett in Leadership, Wrk

Morning after morning, British soldiers woke up and put on their uniforms–trousers, boots, scarlet red jacket. Morning after morning, soldiers stumbled out of makeshift tents–bright red exclamation points on the bleak New England landscape. Morning after morning, British troops paraded around the countryside as glowing red targets.

On these same mornings, determined American colonists were planning, scheming, evolving. They were planning a new kind of warfare. One that valued disguise over the obvious, stealth over pageantry, success over tradition.

“Why come ye hither, Redcoats, your mind what madness fills? In our valleys there is danger, and there’s danger on our hills. Oh, hear ye not the singing of the bugle wild and free? And soon you’ll know the ringing of the rifle from the tree”.

– 1770s folk song “The Rifleman’s Song at Bennington”

230+ years later, the rifles of change are still ringing. They are pointed at your business, your organization, your church.

Ask AOL.

Ask GM.

Ask the 8-track.

Traditions are great. Established protocol is fine. 1970s thinking will sometimes work. But the minute the world evolves past them, they are just a red coat. And they might get you killed.