Freedom to Stop

Stopping – calling a halt to something is an action many people are very reluctant to take. Somehow it feels like an admission of failure or at least to having made a ‘mistake’.

‘Stopping’ can also be a result of changing our mind about something, and that by many people, is also seen as some sort of failure. Politicians and managers in particular always seem to be criticised heavily for changing their decisions, whatever the circumstances, and those who are pragmatic in this way are seen as ‘weak’. It is thought ‘leaders’ are supposed to make a decision (or promise) and stick to it regardless of any change in a situation or how the actions they are taking are proceeding.

This is like saying a ‘strong’ leader is the one who will take you over the edge of the cliff and a ‘weak’ leader will stop in time to prevent the disaster.

Under these circumstances ‘stopping’ takes courage whatever the context. We’ve been trained by society to stand by our decisions – however stupid they may turn out to be. Knowing when to stop, how to deal with the criticism others who don’t understand the situation will mete out, is as important a skill we should learn as the skill of  making the ‘right’ decisions in the first place.