How long will you give it before you give up and throw out the F-Bomb (Failure-bomb)?
This is the quintessential question for anyone involved
in some sort of start-up venture or project.
Whether it’s a business, non profit or a personal project, the
difference between seeing the light at the end of the tunnel or the oncoming
headlights of failure is your willingness to persevere.
The most dangerous
and vulnerable stage of any vision is the middle.
At the beginning it’s all about the energy of the
vision. One reason for that energy is because
ideas are free; free of commitment, cost, and sacrifice. That’s why the initial stage of launching a
vision is so invigorating! Everything is
possible and all obstacles are surmountable in that fluffy, untested world of
the future vision.
Once you get near the end you may be tired from the
journey but you can now see the tangible outcomes emerging. That sight-line renews your energy to
complete the climb.
The problem is the messy or miserable middle. It’s where:
·
Team members or initial proponents begin to leave
·
Criticism over ‘production’ starts to surface
·
The initial ‘master plan’ is facing regular
re-think moments in order to adjust to realities
·
You doubt yourself
Do you stick with it or abandon ship and walk away with
your degree from the School of Disappointment?
Here are 12 guidelines for deciding when to quit and when
to persevere, as posted by Rosabeth Moss Kanters’ blog in the Harvard Business
Review of Oct 23, 2012:
- Are the initial reasons for the effort still valid, with no consequential external changes?
- Do the needs for which this a solution remain unmet, or are competing solutions still unproven or inadequate?
- Would the situation get worse if this effort stopped?
- Is it more cost-effective to continue than to pay the costs of restarting?
- Is the vision attracting more adherents?
- Are leaders still enthusiastic, committed, and focused on the effort?
- Are resources available for continuing investment and adjustments?
- Is skepticism and resistance declining?
- Is the working team motivated to keep going?
- Have critical deadlines and key milestones been met?
- Are there signs of progress, in that some problems have been solved, new activities are underway, and trends are positive?
- Is there a concrete achievement — a successful demonstration, prototype, or proof of concept?
If your answers are mostly yes, then press on! If not,
then it may be the right thing to fold up and move on. Better to give up on something that cannot work rather than something that could have worked.
Just because the middle is messy, it’s not a good reason
to give up. Press on!
Harv Matchullis
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