Comments on: Learn to Fail Fast

By: Philip Levin

Philip Levin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:59:19 +0000

Walt, I also worked as an Advanced Planning attorney, for about 5 years with Gary Underwood at Provident in Philly and have been a T&E attorney for over 25 years.

Let me know if you are now in private practice in VA and if not, what are you doing after leaving GenWorth? Regards, Philip

By: Rajiv Chelani

Rajiv Chelani — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:43:40 +0000

In fact, The gambler is one of my favourites.

Being a mediator, 360 degree view is important to me without bringing in my own prejudices. I keep trying.

Though mostly emotions get packed in the cover of logic; separating the two becomes difficult.

Anyway nice to have interacted with you.

Cheers

By: Walt Bristow

Walt Bristow — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:38:37 +0000

There’s nothing wrong with hanging on to a lost cause — as long as you realize what you’re doing. And sometimes miracles do happen and a lost cause turns around. Most often, however, there comes a time when most people need to let go. That point is different for everyone. As you suggest, that’s often an emotional hurdle not an analytic one.

As Kenny Rogers sang in The Gambler:

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.

By: Rajiv Chelani

Rajiv Chelani — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:13:32 +0000

Walter, I respect what you've written. What about those who love the project so dearly that they can't let it go. What is your opinion on euthanasia? How do you think people who believe in patience and persistence would react to such thoughts. Posted by Rajiv Chelani, Mediator and Restorative Justice Facilitator on the Happy Lawyers group on LinkedIn.com

By: Aaron Porter

Aaron Porter — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:30:29 +0000

I once inherited a project that was 3 years old that should have been completed in about 1 year. Company leadership did not want to admit to failure. I asked my leadership if I could place the project on hold so that I could assess it to validate the scope and requirements. I was told no, that I just needed to make progress. With the help of a small team who was dedicated to completing the project, we "made progress" while we performed our own assessment and got the project on the right track, eventually completing the project. My point, however, is that failing projects often continue because an individual or group of people are not willing to admit to failure. It could be that they are afraid it will make them look bad, or worse than they already do; I am not going to delve into the psychological or company cultural/political motivations of this behavior. I just know that it happens - both being unwilling to admit to failure and being unwilling to reassess a situation because doing so could imply that the project may have been going in the wrong direction for a long time, and there could be concerns about becoming a scapegoat. These situations can lead to questions that people do not want others to ask, even though they should be asked. Posted by Aaron Porter, MBA PMP Experienced BA/PMP/CSM in the LDS Professionals Group on LinkedIn.com

By: Jason Alba

Jason Alba — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:45:55 +0000

This is what Seth Godin's The Dip is all about (just google that). It's a super easy and quick read. Posted by Jason Alba LinkedIn for Job Seekers DVD on the The Official Brigham Young University Alumni Network group at LinkedIn.com

By: David Nicholas

David Nicholas — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:03:53 +0000

I think anyone who’s had a significant career has experienced this. If one is used to success after success they may be unprepared to recognize and react to failure, in oneself and/or ones manager and/or the organization. They may fail to recognize how to minimize the damage caused to oneself over a period of months or years. Working at a job that’s not the right fit sucks the life out of a person. Usually, things do not get better just by working harder. Powering through does not always work. Sometimes we avoid confrontation in the false belief that it will result in a negative outcome. Once I noted the behavior of an executive after one of his colleges was promoted to CEO. His former CEO friend was gone and he wanted out too. The company reminded him that he had signed nondisclosure / noncompetitive agreement. Later, during a meeting, he purposely embarrassed the new CEO with an outburst directed at him. Shortly after that he was released from the company sans the non-competive agreement... Posted by David Nicholas, Manfacturing & Systems Project Engineer at Caterpillar on the LDS Professionals Group at LinkedIn.com

By: Don Schultz

Don Schultz — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:07:29 +0000

My Dad, whom I respected and loved, had some attitudes as a tradesman that served him well. Those attitudes were reflected in a couple of "catch words" he used. 1.) "It all pays the same." and 2.) "It beats not working." Both reflected a passive attitude toward career tasks and did not show leadership. That was OK for him in his place. I think it takes courage to look at a program doomed to fail and say "It seemed like a good idea at the time, but this is not going to work." It takes much care because some may be heavily invested politically in the program, and many may reflect my dad's attitudes. When we speak of "shooting the horse" some involved may think they ARE the horse. Comment by Don Schultz, Distribution Sales Manager, Sales Training Pro on the theMeatBall / GE Alumni group at LinkedIn.com

By: Paul Tran

Paul Tran — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:54:34 +0000

that's a great article, Walter. i'm getting tired of advisors saying "stay the course" because it's easy, safe, not complicated, and Wall Street banks on the "buy and hold" strategy, even when circumstances have changed that make their current portfolio irrelevant. keep up the great thoughts! Posted by Paul Tran, Small Business Owner, Wealth Insurance Advisor, Estate Planning Professional & Client Ambassador on the Estate Planner Legal Group on LinkedIn.com

By: Zorka Kovacevich

Zorka Kovacevich — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:40:37 +0000

I've got to admit that I was acquainted with a horse that refused to budge. It took me a while to realize he was really, truly dead-- the poor, dear thing! One thing's for sure: you can get there a whole lot faster walking vs. riding a dead horse! Zorka Kovacevich Virtual Administrative Assistant & Professional Organizer. Comment made on the Deloitte group on LinkedIn.com. See her blog.