“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” once remarked Ralph Waldo Emerson. I never truly understood that remark until I went golfing one cold October morning some years ago. A neighbor of mine was moving; let’s call him Stan. A few neighbors and I decided to treat Stan to a last round of golf.

The evening before our round a cold front dropped in, pushing temperature into the lower 50s with some stiff winds from the West, making the wind chill in 30s. In Dallas, this would be considered unseasonably cold, but not extraordinary. Being overly practical, I decided to dress in layers to keep warm, including two shirts, a pull-over, a jacket and a knit hat – in short, the Dallas version of Ralphie’s brother from “A Christmas Story”.

When I showed up in the morning, everyone else had dressed just as sensibly, except Stan. He had on shorts, a ball cap and long sleeve shirt. When asked why he wore shorts, he replied, “I always wear shorts when I golf.” As the morning wore on, and the wind took its toll on any exposed skin, Stan was consistently seeking relief behind any large mass. On some holes, the only cover was the lip of a sand trap, and Stan would lie on the ground behind the trap as we all putted out. Then on 17th hole, a large gust of wind took Stan’s ball cap and deposited into the water hazard with Stan doggedly chasing his lucky cap. As he stood in the middle of the water in his shorts, ringing out his cap, shivering and beet red from wind burn, I suddenly understood what a foolish consistency was.

Last week, I remembered this story and subsequent realization when I was talking to one of our sales managers. He was explaining his frustration with a prospect that was considering using a big ERP for Accounts Payable because they “always buy big ERP”. The company agrees that value proposition was superior, there was a proven ROI, user satisfaction was higher and the overall cost was lower. Yet, they are still wrestling with the decision because of a foolish consistency.

In my career, this is not the first time I have heard this reasoning, and it really begs the questions, where are you approaching things the same way because it has always been that way? The current environment is the perfect time to challenge those long held rules of thumb and conventions. And, make decision based on value and not convention. So ask yourself, “Where are my foolish consistencies?”