Seth Godin keeps some good posts coming. How fitting is this one?

And really, what are the bulk of senior managers within government departments… but incumbents? — carry the party line, don’t rock the boat, protect the pension… (with respect to those who do take a stand from time to time, and those that approach things with passion).

Incumbents compromise to please the committee and bend over backwards to defend the status quo.

Insurgents have the ability to work without a committee and to destroy the status quo.

The game is stacked in favor of the insurgents, except–

They’re under pressure from boards, investors and neighbors to act like incumbents.

It takes guts to be an insurgent, and even though the asymmetrical nature of challenging the status quo is in their favor, often we find we’re short on guts. … and then the incumbents prevail.