It’s Time to Slaughter the Sacred Cow – 2025 Update

In business, a sacred cow is any person, process, or practice considered beyond critique, untouchable. These sacred cows often exist quietly within a company, mooing away in the corner while eating up profit, progress, and morale. You may already know what or who it is. The real question is: What is it costing you to keep feeding that cow?

In my years as a small business consultant, I’ve lost count of how many times I identified a glaring issue, only to be told, “We can’t touch that.” Whether it was a long-standing employee, an outdated process, or a pet project that should have been put down years ago, I was expected to work around it. And in nearly every case, that sacred cow was the very thing keeping the company from growing or surviving.

Let me give you a real-world example.

I was hired to turn around an office products supplier. After a thorough review of financials and team performance, I saw a pattern: most salespeople met their quotas occasionally, but rarely with consistency. It was a call center environment, and at the end of each month, if numbers were off-track, the owner would storm the floor, screaming, demeaning, and verbally abusing the staff. It created a toxic culture, making hiring and retaining talent nearly impossible.

They were burning through cash on recruiting, onboarding, and training, only to have new hires flee within weeks.

To fix it, I implemented a performance-based system. It rewarded consistency. Salespeople who hit their monthly goals would earn more than their base pay through bonuses. Morale improved. Productivity went up. The culture began to shift, until the sacred cow got hungry.

One tenured salesperson, seen as “irreplaceable”, missed their number. Per the new system, their bonus didn’t kick in. So what did the owner do? He wrote them a personal check to make up the difference.

When I raised the concern, I was told, “This is my company. I’ll do whatever I want.”

And just like that, my time there was over.

Here’s the truth: Loyalty is admirable, but blind loyalty can be fatal. Whether it’s an old process that no longer serves you or an employee who refuses to grow, sacred cows can quietly strangle progress. And the longer you keep them around, the harder they are to confront.

So ask yourself:

• Is there someone on your team who’s no longer contributing but still protected?

• Is there a system or process you’re clinging to just because it’s “how we’ve always done it”?

• Is a personal preference or ego keeping your business from thriving?

In 2025, businesses can’t afford to be sentimental about inefficiencies. The market is too competitive, the margins too tight, and the pace of change too fast.

Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do as a leader is to let go of what’s holding you back, even if it’s been with you for years.

Take a hard look around.
Do you hear any mooing?
If so, it might be time to send that sacred cow out to pasture, for good.