Is your Business an “Afghanistan”?
Major events invoke a lot of debate. Everyone has their own opinion and critiques, but I prefer to think about what you can learn from it to apply to business. And the Afghan “debacle” is no different.
So how you can compare the Afghanistan debacle to your own business? Let’s start with looking at why the US and its allies go into Afghanistan to start with. The objectives were very clear, very concise – they wanted to get Bin Laden and Al-Queda as the person(s) responsible for an attack on their own country. They made an offer to the Taliban to hand them over. That didn’t work and they invaded. So the purpose was very clear. Defeating Taliban or improving the Afghans way of life were not the goal. Defeating Taliban was just a means to the end.
But then why did they stay on? Osama bin Laden was killed almost 10 years back. Within a year or so into into the invasion of Afghanistan, it was clear Bid Laden wasn’t there. So what then went on was really mission creep. Once the Taliban were defeated and they had a new government in place, the justification turned to ensuring that Afghanistan should not become a place for Bin Laden and the likes again. And so it went on for 20 years until finally Biden (and Trump before that) took a decision to end the war, basically to cut all losses. The decision was a no-brainer but the only reason why presidents before Biden did not do that was precisely what we have seen in the past few days – the cost of shutting down a lossmaking operation it’s not pretty. Biden could have reversed Trump’s decision and he possibly would have been able to continue for this full term and even a second term with troops in Afghanistan. It took a lot of courage to make that decision and stick to it in spite of all the potential blowbacks.
So what does this all mean to your own business? How do most businesses start? When I work with business owners, it is quite clear that they have an idea, an ambition to make a difference. It is more often than not well defined, just as the objective of getting Bin Laden was.
But it takes time to achieve the goal. And that’s when things start creeping – there is this nice little opportunity that would just make us some money or here’s something we can also do along with our main objective. These are some of the justifications I hear when I ask my clients and prospects about how their business got to where it is. And before you know it, “20 years” have gone by. By then there are commitments to customers, suppliers and employees. There are no easy solutions – stopping something would invariably mean disappointing someone – themselves, their loved ones, their investors, etc. It is so much harder to stop things than it is to start them. And that is the second part of the lesson here – know when to cut your losses and be brave enough to do that – be a Biden.
In conclusion,
- Write down your initial goal. Carve it, if you need to, but have it where you can always be reminded of it.
- Have measures (KPIs) on the way to your goal. Review them regularly and be willing to adapt. Be prepared to abandon, if necessary.
- Know when to cut your losses, and don’t be afraid to do so.
- None of this is easy for those of us running our own business. So, have a sounding partner – someone to keep you honest.
