Leadership and Abort Point

When I was sailing on ships as a navigating officer, one of my duties was voyage planning to take the ship from one port to another

When planning a voyage, especially in narrow confined waters, one of the activities we used to do was to mark the “Abort Point” on the navigation chart

Abort point is a point beyond which there is insufficient sea room to turn back the ship

For example, when you are entering a port or approaching a narrow navigation channel, beyond a certain point, the width of the channel may not be sufficient to turn the ship

That’s the abort point 

This is a very critical decision point to identify and be aware of while navigating, as it is the last point where you can abort the voyage

Why am I telling you this ?

Because the concept of “Abort Point” is applicable at workplace as well, when you are driving change or leading a new initiative

Sometimes, as a leader, you may get too attached to a project

You make it your personal agenda, especially if it's something you have been thinking for a long time or something you are very passionate about

And if things don’t go as per plan, you find it difficult to let go

You find it difficult to abort

Sometimes, you make it a prestige or an ego issue

Abort point is not just about letting go

It’s about being aware of when to let go and cut the chord

It’s about taking tough decisions

While it might be easy to identify an abort point on a chart, but when it comes to workplace, it is not straightforward

It calls in for a high degree of situational and contextual awareness as a leader

It calls for thinking beyond your agenda and looking at the bigger picture – what is really the right thing to do for the teams, for the business

And yes..

It involves humility

When you have to abort something, your pride might get hurt

Accepting with humility is key

Taking accountability is key

And learning to move on is key

Over to you

Have you ever aborted a mission at workplace ?

PS : Whenever you are ready to push yourself outside your comfort zone and create new possibilities in life, 

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