Know how to end things. We have a cultural preoccupation with the beginning, but what often matters the most is the ending. The last two minutes in a tight football game. The ninth inning and two outs in the World Series. The closing arguments in a criminal trial. The last 30 minutes of a six hour heart transplant operation. The end game for both Iraq and Afghanistan. The beginning draws the excitement, attention, and anticipation - but the ending becomes the benchmark for success or failure of most endeavors. It is important to remember that the ending process is not as tactical as just a win or a loss. It has a strategic component where the ending can be seen as the beginning and the understanding that the only real ending is death. Everything else is a transition.
As Robert Green writes about warfare in The 33 Strategies of War (2006):
"You are judged in this world by how well you bring things to an end. A messy or incomplete conclusion can reverberate for years to come, ruining your reputation in the process. The art of ending things well is knowing when to stop, never going to far that you exhaust yourself or create bitter enemies that embroil you in conflict in the future. It also entails ending on the right note, with energy and flair. It is not a question of simply winning the war but the way you win it, the way your victory sets you up for the next round. The height of strategic wisdom is to avoid all conflicts and entanglements from which there are no realistic exists."
For most of us, the conclusion of a project (or anything for that matter) represents a kind of wall: our work is done and it is time to tally our gains and losses and move on. But you can look at the world much differently; an ending was not like a wall but more like a door, leading to the next project or phase. What matters is what opens onto the next round. Understand - in any venture, your tendency to think in terms of winning or losing, success or failure is dangerous. Your mind comes to a stop, instead of looking ahead. What you need is a more fluid and strategic outlook on life. Nothing ever really ends; how you finish something will influence and even determine what you do next. Knowing the importance and the emotional resonance of the ending of anything, people should understand that this issue is not simply finishing what they have started but finishing it well - with energy, a clear head, and an eye on the afterglow, the way the event will linger in people's minds. The "Strategic Enders" plan not just to the end but past it, to the aftermath. These are the ones who create things that last - a meaningful peace, a successful project, a memorable work of literature, an long a fruitful career.
As Robert Green writes about warfare in The 33 Strategies of War (2006):
"You are judged in this world by how well you bring things to an end. A messy or incomplete conclusion can reverberate for years to come, ruining your reputation in the process. The art of ending things well is knowing when to stop, never going to far that you exhaust yourself or create bitter enemies that embroil you in conflict in the future. It also entails ending on the right note, with energy and flair. It is not a question of simply winning the war but the way you win it, the way your victory sets you up for the next round. The height of strategic wisdom is to avoid all conflicts and entanglements from which there are no realistic exists."
For most of us, the conclusion of a project (or anything for that matter) represents a kind of wall: our work is done and it is time to tally our gains and losses and move on. But you can look at the world much differently; an ending was not like a wall but more like a door, leading to the next project or phase. What matters is what opens onto the next round. Understand - in any venture, your tendency to think in terms of winning or losing, success or failure is dangerous. Your mind comes to a stop, instead of looking ahead. What you need is a more fluid and strategic outlook on life. Nothing ever really ends; how you finish something will influence and even determine what you do next. Knowing the importance and the emotional resonance of the ending of anything, people should understand that this issue is not simply finishing what they have started but finishing it well - with energy, a clear head, and an eye on the afterglow, the way the event will linger in people's minds. The "Strategic Enders" plan not just to the end but past it, to the aftermath. These are the ones who create things that last - a meaningful peace, a successful project, a memorable work of literature, an long a fruitful career.
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