Of course, NPR this morning reported that massage therapists, cigarette manufacturers and of course, bankruptcy lawyers are doing better than ever. So as always, bad news is always good news for someone!
I wrote this article initially in 2000, but it's probably more appropriate now than then. Making Good Kills is not just instructions for hitmen. It's about Stopping Projects, Quitting Jobs, Firing Employees, and Other Necessary Endings
If every project and every product your company turns out is a raging success; every person you hire is perfectly suited, and if your every career move turns out to be golden, you don't need to read this article.
For the rest of us, there is the occasional "kill" that has to be made - by ending a project, quitting a job, terminating an employee, dissolving a department or a company, or discontinuing a product or service.
Taking a risk is, at least, a passing nod to the possibility that something may go wrong. Although most of us were raised with a "never give up" attitude and feel it's a failure of sorts to admit a mistake or the need for a change, sometimes knowing when to quit (and redirect your energies to other things) is the key to future successes.
When learning a martial art, (or many other risky sports) a good coach will first teach a student "how to fall." Being able to fall gracefully without hurting yourself is the best foundation on which to begin to take risks. The greatest martial artists performances often involve several falls before an eventual spectacular victory.
The CPA Journal Online indicates that more than 300 U.S. firms go out of business every week. It would be naïve to think you (or your company) are immune to failure. It doesn't have to be a poor decision or mistake on your part- a change in market conditions, the actions of a competitor or inactions of a supplier, the behavior (or lack thereof) by an employee, or any number of factors outside of your control can set up a failure situation.
Businesses, or business people, who can "fall gracefully" learn and adapt quickly, and redeploy their resources in endeavors that have greater chances of success.
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