One of my mentors, Seth Godin advocates that there's a big difference between winners and losers.
Winners have the innate ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated on what matters and more importantly, when it really counts.
One of the consequences of selling ourselves out to doing too much is that we will not leave any legacy, or at least not the one we want-- at least not "ours".
Many organizations and people have become overloaded with the tremendous urge to do more and be winners at everything.
- More is not better.
- More is the status quo.
- More is mediocre.
- More is hard to measure.
- More takes more time.
Winners know when to quit.
For those Millennials out there who weren't old enough to try it, the Coca-Cola Company introduced New Coke in 1985. It was an absolute marketing failure that led to an outrage by consumers. The company managed to bring back the original formula and brand it as Coca-Cola Classic and dominate market share for the best cola in the world. Coke quit. They escaped a dead-end.
Hugh McCleod - wwww.gapingvoid.com
Winners aren't afraid to cut bait.
Almost 12 years ago I sat on a team charged with simplifying some reporting. We spent 8 hours in a room locked away discussing our big plan on how we'd do this through surveys, focus groups, and meetings.
I suggested we just begin to cut reports. Surely if a stakeholder needed something, we'd hear about it. Do you know what happened when we quit sending them? Nada. No one was reading them! My leader was so worried we wouldn't have work, yet the client rewarded my firm with more opportunities because of the trust that single action built.
Having the courage to cut bait rewards you with more meaningful work, faster.
Winners understand some races aren't worth the fee required to participate.
[Tweet "Sometimes the best finish line is not to cross it at all."] Know which race is yours. Know the players, the coaches, and the crowd. You still get the benefit of a medal -- the one that says proudly ... "I Knew Better"
The problem with quitting is we believe it's a sign of failure. Quitting "more" is about growth. So don't beat yourself up. Winners quit all the time.
Seth's full manifesto can be downloaded here. Read this....It might inspire you to finally quit the stuff that doesn't matter and focus on the stuff that does.
