The way we treat our champions decides whether we build a legacy or a cautionary tale.- The Tale of Two Horse Companies
Once upon a time, there were two horse companies — Rustam and Chetak. Both owned horses of different ages and breeds, and both regularly participated in races. Their performance was average, neither spectacular nor poor. Determined to improve, both companies formed review and management teams to devise new strategies. What followed was a study in contrasts. Case A — Rustam Company After its review, Rustam Company decided: Participate in more races with their winning horses. Reduce the food budget for these winners, assuming their strength and past success would carry them through. Leave the non-performing horses idle, on a reduced diet, with no training or work. At first, the plan seemed to work — for a month and a half, they won more races than before. But soon, the winning horses grew tired, some fell ill, and performance plummeted. The review committee reported that costs were indeed going down, but so were the results. By the end of the year, Rustam Company lost every race. An inde...