LOYALTIES

An association executives told a crowd that in her next strategic planning exercise, she will hire this person who happens to be a member of the association and had been waiting for her turn to be contracted.

It seemed that they get to contract only those consultants that are already part of the association for the longest time.

It seemed that it's part of the reward and seniority system.

It seemed that looking beyond their walls is counter to how they operate and think.

It seemed that for all their talk on innovation and fearlessness, they fear outside experts and perspectives. 

It's the same thing when a senior executive at an academic institution noted that they only get the big firms for management consulting. Why? What's the point? 

We can't lie about where our loyalties ultimately rests. Usually, relationships fossilized and so does thinking and then it becomes a force of habit, not a stroke of innovation. 

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