There was no shortage of passion for quality and safety at Telluride. It is always the crazy fools who think they can change the world that do.
However, throughout the lectures, discussions, and conversations, I can’t stop thinking about Temple Grandin – an autistic animal scientist that revolutionized how animal behavior is viewed in the livestock industry. She changed the handling of livestock to be more humane/respectful, safe, and effective.
Why should you care about Temple Grandin? It appears to me that she faced many similar challenges: entrenched culture with a resistant old guard. The story is timeless – arrogant and ignorant cowboys KNOW how to handle livestock and how dare this geek tell us how to do our job. But Grandin succeeds by being relentless in her research. Nothing promotes action like data and cost savings. She demonstrated that her approach was not only more ethical, but led to less waste because of improved safety protocols and improved efficiency. Her methods were reliable, scalable, and generalizable. Sound familiar?
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Complement your passion with industriousness. We have a Sisyphean challenge ahead. Keep calm and keep hustling. We are counting on us.