Why Best Practices Aren't

Best practices are often an excuse to turn off one's brain!

Long time readers know I'm no fan of best practices applied indiscriminately and unintelligently (as they often are), as I wrote in Avoiding "Worst Practices," or praying at "The Temple of Best Practices."

I recently ran across The Worst Thing about Best Practices by Michael McLaughlin, co-author of the highly recommended Guerilla Marketing for Consultants.

He gives four reasons to dump "Brainless Following, Sheep Style" - errr, make that "Best Practices":

1. They rarely work
2. It's a followers strategy (who knowingly hires, admires, or promotes followers?)
3. Change comes from within. People rarely respond well to implementing some other company'’s ideas.
4. They don'’t come with a manual (what do you do with them to make them work?)

Well worth checking out, as is the book and the Guerilla Consulting Blog (even if you're not a consultant!)