Make A Decision to Decide

In his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, author Gregory McKeown dedicates an entire chapter to cutting our losses. It’s not an easy thing to do. He cites several examples in which it’s human nature to cling to things we already own, to continue to justify costs into a failing project and to do things the way we always have, even if they are non-productive or pointless. We fear loss. We fear waste. We fear change.

As the owner of a small business in an ever-changing industry, I often have to make tough calls and act quickly. I have a limited amount of time to dwell on the possibilities. Sometimes this works to my advantage because I don’t overthink it, but there are times I fear that I will make the wrong choice. It’s never easy to cut something or somebody, but despite the internal angst, I have never regretted a decision.

I’ve been working closely with our newly minted people manager (Jennifer) the past few weeks as she navigates her role. As a self-proclaimed people gal, she struggles with tough decisions, particularly when it comes to removing someone from the team.

Jennifer’s most endearing quality is empathy, which is necessary when working with people. It’s…