This
Newsletter
...
is a quick tip ezine for Managers who believe in
"Results Derived from Within"
Written by:
Vickie Bevenour, a Professional
Certified Coach, PCC
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October
2009
SMART
Quitting
is
One
Key
to
Success
Last month we talked about Seth Godin�s book,
The Dip and how you can be the best that
you can be by pushing through short term set backs
on the road to a high potential strategic goal.
This month let�s talk about when it is
appropriate to use SMART quitting as a
conscious decision. Quitting SMART is a
great way to avoid failure.
Ken had finally secured the title of Vice
President of Operations for a global financial
software firm. He was pleased that his 20 years of
hard work had finally paid off. After about a
year, his supervisor began using some very subtly
aggressive tactics to make Ken look bad. Ken�s
responsibilities were slowly being taken away. His
role was being redefined on a seemingly weekly
basis, to be less than half of what it originally
was. The stress of this situation was beginning to
affect Ken both mentally and physically.
During this trying time, Ken and I had many
discussions regarding the different strategic and
tactical directions that he might take. One day he
told me that he had decided to quit. My immediate
reaction was utter shock. But now, having read
Godin�s book I fully appreciate the courage and
intelligence of Ken�s choice.
Godin�s philosophy is, if you are facing a dead
end or are close to falling off a cliff, quitting SMART
is a great way to avoid failure. If any of you are
facing a situation that seemingly has a dead end
or no long-term potential he suggests that you ask
yourself the following three questions:
- Am I panicking? Quitting SMART means
that you have decided what factors would
make a situation �quittable� way before
they occur.
- Who am I trying to influence? If
you are thinking of quitting you probably
have not been successful at your current
attempt to influence other key people around
you. In our example, Ken made many attempts
to positively influence his boss, but to no
avail.
- What sort of measurable progress am I
making? The innate example of a dead end
or a cliff situation is that you get to the
point where you do not make any progress or
you make a terrible �negative� progress.
Not making any progress and simply �coping�
with a situation, like Ken, is a true time
for SMART quitting.
Are you overdue to quit? Ask yourself these
three questions and remember never to quit
something with great long-term potential just
because you think that you cannot deal with the
stress of the moment. In this current economy SMART
quitting is easier said than done, which makes
asking yourself these questions and analyzing your
situation even more critical. SMART
quitting is a conscious decision and can also be a
great way to get you back on track to being the
best that you can be. Congratulations, you have
taken the next step to deriving results from
within.
*To review any of these past newsletters,
please visit the Newsletter
section of www.CoachVickie.com
If
you like the tip, let us know but more important,
share it with a friend or colleague. As always,
YOUR SUCCESS IS MY GREATEST PLEASURE.
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