Knowing when to quit

When it comes to change, you have to know when to quit. You've done your best. You try, you fail and you learn. But it's not always easy to let go.

Exhibit A: the humble loo roll.
Whenever I buy anything new at home or work I research brands that try to lower their impact on the environment and do some good in the world.

That takes time and effort. It also saves money, because sometimes I just can't be bothered :-)

I found a loo roll brand that ticked most of the boxes and every couple of months received the delivery no problem. And then the courier changed!

The last few times the box has been delivered to the wrong address and/or taken weeks to arrive. We live in a village with more house names than numbers, so it can't be easy, but I contacted customer services numerous times, left directions, offered safe places to leave it etc and nothing worked. So I cancelled the order and it's back to square one.

It's not the end of the world. First world problems and all that. The real issue is that it took me 6 months to quit!

I kept trying because of all the time I'd spent researching, wanting to support the eco-friendly brand, trying to do the right thing, the effort trying to resolve it and wanting to give them a chance.. and knowing that starting again and finding an alternative would mean more of the same.

Sometimes we try so hard to make a change work that we lose sight of why we're doing it in the first place. The benefits we're striving for no longer outweigh the investment/risks/disruption. It's just not worth it any more.

It's not always the sunk cost that keeps us hanging on. Sometimes it's the emotional investment that's harder to let go of.

If you're making a change, keep checking in with the benefits and don't be afraid to challenge if you're heading off track. Making this a regular part of your project review, where people are encouraged to give feedback on what's working well and any challenges, will help them feel comfortable speaking up and act quickly on the info.


Special thanks to David Gallagher for the inspiration for today's post with your comment on my recent newsletter (you can read it here and subscribe if you missed it: https://lnkd.in/eBizQJqN) and to Hiut Denim Co for their fabulous yearbook which served as a fitting backdrop :-)

#ChangeReady
#ChangeShapers
#MakeChangeThatMatters
#AndKnowWhenToQuit