The Dead Horse Theory
The Dead Horse Theory (AndHow to Pivot for Growth)
There is anold proverb that says, "When you discover that you are riding a deadhorse, the best strategy is to dismount."
During my timein the corporate world, we often do the exact opposite. We buy a better whip,we appoint a committee to study the horse, or we keep riding and hope itmagically wakes up. We stay the course because we don't want to admit a projectis failing, or because we’ve already invested so much time and capital into it.
I’d alwayslooked forward to the virtual annual Townhall sessions. I’d organise morningtea for my team so we could sit around to hear the new strategy and the focusprojects for the year. This allowed my team and I to align our strategy to thisand design our roadmap for the year ahead. However as the months rolled on,market realities hit, organisational alignments shifted, and priorities moved,we had to refocus on the priorities at hand.
True strategyand growth require the discipline to realise when a project no longer servesthe organisation's priorities, and then confidently change direction. Here isthe step-by-step process I learned to manage these shifts to navigate thebusiness growth.
The 4-Step DismountProcess
- Acknowledge the Alignment Shift:
Compare yourcurrent project against the latest company strategy. A project that wascritical in January can easily become a dead horse by June if the broaderorganisational priorities have moved on. Growth stalls when you look at a slidedeck instead of current reality.
- Identify the Gaps, Not the Blame:
Review the currentexecution honestly. Own what is actually happening on the ground instead ofhoping things will just get better. Pinpoint exactly where the project isdrifting from the core goals or where the market has outpaced your initialplan.
- Bring Subject Matter Experts to the Table Early:
You cannot pivotsuccessfully if you only talk to the executive suite. Bring in the frontlineworkers and technical experts who understand the operational realities. Theyprovide the real-world insights needed to see the cracks before the systembreaks down.
- Pivot or Plug the Plug:
Use the experts'insights to reshape the project to align with new priorities, or have thematurity to stop it entirely. Every hour spent trying to revive a dead projectis an hour stolen from a new opportunity that could actually move the businessforward.
Ultimately, strategic growth is aboutsubtraction just as much as it is about addition. Knowing what to stop doing isjust as important as knowing what to start, and hope is simply not a businessstrategy. Continuing a failing project just because of past investment onlydeepens the loss, whereas getting the right people involved early ensures youbuild systems that handle real-world friction from the start.
When we have the maturity to look atthe gaps honestly, bring the right experts to the table, and align ourresources with where the business is actually heading, we do more than justsave capital. We create a culture where teams feel supported to innovate,pivot, and execute with confidence. True growth isn't about never failing; itis about building an agile organisation that knows exactly how to step off theold path and confidently build the new one.
