McCarron: Let Go or Be Dragged

There are several analogies regarding the importance of letting something go. They all have one thing in common: it’s against human nature to do so, but often survival requires it.

In the first analogy, we have an angler out in the ocean trying to catch fish. This person is disappointed when a fish is too small. But he revels in motivation when a large fish gives him a fight and proudly tells anyone who will listen how big the fish is that he caught. He even has photos on his phone as evidence. But the angler can’t see too deep in the ocean.

If he hooks a minnow, he might barely be able to tell anything is on the hook. If he hooks a shark, the fight is on. The pulse quickens and adrenaline pumps. If caught, that shark will be measured, weighed and talked about for generations. Yet if he hooks a whale, the whale will likely take him to a watery grave deep below.

The second analogy is a hot air balloon tethered to the ground. It’s a wondrous site, but the tether breaks free. In a panic, the pilot grabs hold of the rope. The balloon rises three feet. It’s here the aviator should realize that letting go of the rope or getting in the basket is the only logical choice. But at this moment, climbing in seems very difficult and letting go seems like giving up. The balloon is worth money and would be ruined. At six feet off the ground, the pilot may rationalize that letting go now would hurt. At 20 feet, the damage would be excruciating. Thirty feet is certain death. Climbing in is no longer an option.

Why did I present both of the above situations? Because our brains often rationalize the avoidance of pain. We need a jolt to break us loose. Imagine the angler, bow of his ship dipping into the ocean and somehow the rod not breaking. He will continue to fight even though the boat is taking on water. But if the whale were to suddenly dive and yank on the rod forcefully, the same angler might let go simply from the shock of a change in pattern. In the case of the hot air balloon, maybe someone grabbed the pilot’s leg and begged them to let go.

One common thread in these analogies is how close the decision-maker is to the problem. Someone who is too close to the problem will usually rationalize that the pain of change is too great. They dismiss the pain of not changing because that’s something in the future. “What if I let go? What if it doesn’t work? I don’t think I can afford to make a mistake.”

But what if you do let go? What if you finally figure out addition by subtraction? What if this does work? What if you miss the opportunity to improve?

Decisions to change things about your business are difficult. Decisions to make changes while working in your business are even more difficult. Sometimes your choices only range from bad to worse to terrible and you simply have to pick the less awful one. You need to let go of the idea that continuing forward along the same path is the least painful. It will be the most painful because time will make the problem worse — more complicated, more difficult and more costly.

Decisions in business are always guided, first and foremost, by financials. Most people don’t run a business to save the world or prevent people from becoming unemployed. Most run businesses to help customers with problems they can’t solve on their own. And we profit from it – fairly. Without profit, a business closes. This means no problems solved, no customers and no employees.

As the year begins to wind down and the winter tire season ebbs and flows as it’s prone to do in the Northeast, where I live, and you have diligently prepared your budget planning, ask yourself what is weighing down your business? Is it a process? Is it a personnel issue? What are all the choices at your disposal to solve them? Begin by eliminating the choices that present no practicable business reasons. You will then be left with emotionally delayed decisions and viable business solutions that make financial sense. Would you rather wrestle with a shark or a whale?

Finally, which choices give you the ability to start fresh and give you a chance to soar to new heights? Think of that unmoored hot air balloon. Stop dangling on the side of the basket. Get in or let go. Take control of your balloon and pilot it to the correct position, using all the tools you have. Just don’t dangle.