Can a Cat Change its Stripes?

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

01 Dec 2025 • 2 min read

The saying that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior has been around for a long time. No one can point to a single originator. It lives in psychology, in coaching, in counseling, and in business. Most experts add an important qualifier. They say the past behavior must be relevant. That makes sense. A person who is always late to meetings will probably be late again. It does not mean that this same person will also be careless with finances or unkind to others. Relevance matters.

The idea shows up in psychological research as well. American psychologist Paul Meehl wrote that research consistently shows past behavior tells us a lot about future behavior. He also warned that this idea can be oversimplified. Human beings are not machines. We do learn. We adapt. We surprise people.

Even so, the statement is debated. Some critics say it ignores the possibility of growth or transformation. Others point out that the principle is strongest in a limited number of situations. For example, a salesperson who never follows up with customers is likely to miss follow ups again. A student who consistently turns in assignments at the last minute will probably do the same in the next semester. A manager who avoids tough conversations will usually continue to avoid them until something forces a change.

This applies to companies as well. Organizations can get stuck in patterns just like people do. A company that refuses to innovate will often stay on that path until the market leaves it behind. General Electric CEO Jack Welch once said you must change before you have to. That advice is still true today. The companies that thrive are usually the ones that embrace learning and reinvention before they are forced into it.

An example of a company changing before it had to is Netflix. It was not that long ago when Netflix mailed DVDs to our homes. Sensing a seismic shift in consumer behavior, they pivoted and embraced streaming. Today, Netflix has annual sales of over $43-billion.

So is past behavior a predictor of future behavior? Yes. But with one important caveat. Some of us do learn from our mistakes. Some people do change their habits. Some organizations do reinvent themselves. It is not easy and it does not happen overnight but it is possible.

Can a cat change its stripes? Not really. But it can learn to stop chasing the same old mouse. And sometimes that is enough.