THE UNTOUCHABLE (THE SACRED COW)

 

THE UNTOUCHABLE (THE SACRED COW)

"Mrs Omoge is a sacred cow."

This expression has been uttered for so long in human history.

Who is a sacred cow?

Merriam Webster dictionary defined a sacred cow as one that is often unreasonably immune from criticism or opposition.

They are those people that never get fairly challenged, critiqued or corrected. You know them. I know them.

They are usually protected due to misguided loyalties, fear, habits or just plain not knowing how to deal with them without risk.

Sacred cows feel and behave like they are untouchable in the workplace. They are usually protected by leaders in an organization without considering to analyse the consequences.

They are oftentimes in the minority but they have spent years in the organization, perhaps they are the foundation staff.

They can destroy the team dynamics and cause dysfunction in an organisation. They are career-limiting, they limit productivity,  they limit creativity,  they limit progress, they limit respect and trust among other employees.

Sacred cows can make everyone believe that without them the job can't be done.

Now there are disadvantages to having such People around in a workplace. It is not just a monetary one but such people affect the morale and level of engagement of other employees.
Sometimes, this leads to disrespect of leadership.

Other hardworking employees are unhappy because the boss or bosses favour these ones, they are rewarded regularly, they get special benefits while the rest who actually do the work are relegated to the background.

Consider these questions 👇
1. Are you a sacred cow?
2. Have you worked with them before?
3. So you have any in your organization or workplace now?

In these series, I will be delving into the world of sacred cows and how to manage them or work with them.

©️ Ugochi Okorie (2021)
The Creative Educator