Think twice before quitting

I'm always looking back at various personal and professional goals, projects and initiatives that I've undertaken over the years. Unsurprisingly the ones that either I or my team put the most preparation, thought and commitment behind where the ones that yielded the best results. 

But what happens when you're way into an initiative and you start doubting if the intended outcome is possible? You've hired a new team but they're not producing expected results. You've launched a new product but early adoption is not what you expected. You took a job and it is not at all what you had hoped for. Or a myriad of other things.

It is often really easy to analyze the situation and data in front of you and make a quick decision to cut your loses, lick your wounds, learn from your mistakes and carry on. That is the decision that many people make. In some cases that could be the right decision to make. I definitely believe in "failing fast" and moving on.

In other cases you have to ask yourself if you've truly looked at all the facts properly. Are you trying to solve the right problem? Have you asked others for advice? Have you searched thoroughly within your own capability or the team's to see if there is another way?

Nothing beats being fully prepared, digging in and getting the expected results. But in case you're not, there is still hope. A new perspective, a pivot, some perseverance and often sheer determination for success will get you there.

I love making analogies between business and sports, specifically triathlons. I made a quitting decision then reversed it last weekend at the Ironman European World Championship in Frankfort Germany. Based on my training I should not have been at the starting line, but with some perseverance and after a comedy of errors I made it to the finish line before the race cutoff time. Hope you can laugh with me at this one and think twice before quitting something important that you're working on. Read my race report here.