Legacy Isn’t in the Code: It’s in Our Heads

In one of his talks, Robert C. Martin asked the audience why nobody uses goto anymore. The reason, he explained, isn’t that everyone suddenly agreed goto is bad. It’s not because we all internalized the dangers of spaghetti code. No—the reason is much simpler.
The programmers who used goto are either retired or dead.

Change doesn’t always happen because everyone sees the light. It often happens because old ways fade away along with the people who championed them.

Digital Transformation Without Change?

If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve probably seen a “digital transformation” project that was nothing more than a bad analog process copy-pasted into the digital world. No improvements. No simplifications. Just the same inefficiencies, now digitized.

It’s no surprise that so many millions are wasted on digital transformation.

Yet, if you scroll through LinkedIn, it seems like everyone is “challenging the status quo” and “driving change.” The reality? Things in large organizations tend to stay the same. It reminds me of that study showing that 80% of men think they’re above-average drivers.

If so many people claim to be agents of change, why does everything still feel stuck?

Why is Change So Hard?

The problem isn’t usually technical—it’s cultural and cognitive.

We think of legacy systems as outdated software filled with ugly, tangled code. But the real legacy problem is in our brains—in the habits, assumptions, and unspoken rules that govern how things get done.

1. The Sunk Cost Fallacy

So much time, effort, and money have been invested in a process, system, or product that abandoning it feels like admitting failure. Instead of cutting losses, we double down, hoping to eventually justify past decisions.

2. Cognitive Inertia

When something has been done a certain way for long enough, changing it feels unnatural—sometimes we don’t even realize there’s another way. If an entire team or company follows this pattern, communal reinforcement kicks in: “This is just how we do things here.”

The result? Bad processes persist not because they work, but because they exist.

What Can We Do?

If you’re in an organization stuck in outdated ways—and you care enough to change it (that part is crucial)—here are a few strategies that might help.

1. Name It. Measure It. Make It Visible.

We can’t fix what we don’t acknowledge.

Give inefficiencies a name. If something doesn’t have a name, it’s almost as if it doesn’t exist. A label makes it easier to discuss and tackle.
Measure it. Data is your best friend. If you can quantify an inefficiency, you can prove its impact and make it harder to ignore. What gets measured, gets managed.
Expose the pain points. Sometimes, just making inefficiencies visible is enough to get the ball rolling. Like reverse magic: make the invisible visible.

2. You’re Probably Not Alone

Find others who also see the problem. Change rarely comes from one person—it comes from a group of individuals who follow a certain path and create momentum.

Identify “champions of change”—colleagues who also recognize the problem and are willing to push for a solution.
Take a systems thinking approach. Look for interventions that create non-linear effects (small changes that lead to big improvements).
Start small. A pilot project that demonstrates success can be more persuasive than a PowerPoint full of theories.

3. Be Relentless (or Call It “Vision”)

Persistence wins. Even if it doesn’t sound glamorous, one of the most effective ways to drive change is the broken record technique: bringing up the issue over and over again until people finally acknowledge it.

Of course, instead of calling it “nagging,” you might prefer to call it “vision.”

Challenge the Goto in Your Organization

Change isn’t just about updating technology or processes—it’s about challenging what we take for granted.

So next time you hear, “But this is how we’ve always done it,” take it as a cue.

Ask instead: “Is this still the best way?”

Because if we don’t challenge it, we’ll just keep using goto—until, eventually, a new generation (or an AI…) comes along and replaces us.

What’s Next?

Have you ever tried driving change in your organization?
What worked (or didn’t work) for you?

Join the conversation on the networks below!

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