“I quit”. These words are generally not a welcome conversation starter. Unless, of course, one is talking about a vice such as cigarettes or alcohol, no one wants to hear it. This applies not just to jobs, but to all components of our lives. Everything from our exercise routines or diets, to our choice of where we live, to risky moves that could help careers grow. All of these are things that need to be re-evaluated from time to time to make sure they are still serving our needs and furthering our goals.
Lucky for us, Wharton’s newest Nano-Tool for Leaders teaches us how and when to re-evaluate to see what may no longer serve us. This fascinating new article was written by Annie Duke, former professional poker player, corporate consultant, co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, and best-selling author. Talk about someone who’s been on the front lines of quick decision making! As a former professional poker player, Ms. Duke knows that professionals abandon about 80% their initial hands during the ever-popular games of Texas Hold-em. Amateurs, however, stick with their initial hands over half the time. This kind of experience helps drive what she terms: “optimal quitting”.
So how do we utilize optimal quitting when it comes to furthering our goals? As it turns out, the simple act of setting a goal can be detrimental as it will inspire us to stick with our plans and not give up. Here is where Duke’s expertise comes in. She lays out some action items we can all use immediately to help us ditch what no longer serves us.
First, set intervals to check-in with goals and see what is working. Second, add “kill-criteria” to your goals. And last, acknowledge incremental progress. Check out the full article here for a deeper dive into each of these steps, and to read some real-world examples of how leaders (or anyone) can use these tools right away. For as Cheryl Richardson once said; “If you eliminate what no longer works, you illuminate what does.”