…die by the cow.

So, what’s up with Apple? iPod sales are rumored to be flattening and the stock gets hammered. Well of course! And Krispy Kreme? The donut fad fades, and they fire the CEO. Or just about every other example of some cool organization from ten years ago…

The thing is, if you want to play the fashion game, to create a Purple Cow then you must embrace the fact that it won’t last forever. It might not last very long at all.

Organizations are not very good at creating the remarkable. People are. And after a person creates a purple cow, the organization milks that cow, relentlessly, for as long as it can. If the people in the organization don’t have the guts and the energy to ready a new cow, then the organization’s days are numbered.