Knowing When to "Call It"

There is a furious but orderly rush of activity in the ER treatment room. An unconscious man lies on the table, the victim of a violent, multiple car accident. His clothes are rumpled and torn in a few places and he has some abrasions, but there is little other visible evidence pointing to the seriousness of his condition. The man’s injuries are internal, and massive. His vital signs are dropping with each passing minute and there is no time to rush him off to surgery. The ER doctors, nurses and technicians are focused. Two other specialists join the scene to lend a hand. With speed and synchronous precision the team assesses the man’s condition. They diligently work through every conceivable medical protocol to try to stabilize the man and save his life. Regrettably, after 56 minutes of valiant effort, the chief resident says, “Call it,” and announces the TOD as 6:53 p.m.

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The mix of curiosity, intellectual challenge and emotional involvement is a highly potent formula. If we could bottle it, it would be a prescription for passion; something that is in short supply in today’s workplaces. When used wisely (i.e., according to the label) it can provide the type of energy and focus that we need to solve complex problems and create outcomes that are efficacious, innovative and beautiful.

But what happens when we don’t follow the label and carelessly take an extra dose? Essentially, we lose the ability to regulate our work. Everything and everyone else gets blocked out. Our peripheral vision and perspectives narrow. To be healthy and helpful, our periods of intense focus need a worthy object. Trouble is right around the corner when our focus becomes our focus. In other words, the purpose and end result of our efforts begin to elude us. The interplay of unbridled curiosity, intellectual drive and emotional attachment can create a vicious, self-sustaining cycle. The g-force it creates can be difficult to break free from.  

I got a good glimpse of this cycle yesterday as I tried to tackle a problem with my antivirus software. To spare you the gory details, I basically turned a $29.95 problem into a loss of four plus hours of precious work time. Worse, I failed to fix the problem. If I look at the lost time in terms of the consulting rate I typically charge my clients, it’s enough to cause me real pain. If I look at my lost development time – the time I use to hone and expand the array of solutions I offer to my clients – the cost is astronomical.

So, why did I get fixated on a task with such low economic and social value? Because I got swept up in wrestling a pesky problem masquerading as a challenging little puzzle. At first, this appealed to my curiosity. I love to solve puzzles. It was almost innocent and playful. The more I worked; however, the more the nagging problem took on a life and personality of its own – a villainous one at that. This hooked me both intellectually and emotionally. I wasn’t going to let this $29.95 software program, or the faceless company that pedals it, get the best of me. It was me against the Matrix and I was not about to let the soulless machine empire win the day.

One of the most courageous things we can do is to have the guts to “call it.” I needed to announce the TOD of my little project at about 6:00 pm yesterday. Instead, I worked on it well into the evening, and the patient still didn’t make it. I failed to properly assess the situation, monitor the vital signs and make the hard but necessary call. In the ER, one person steps up to “call it” when the situation warrants closure. It is a sad moment, one of finality, but also one of profound dignity. It acknowledges everyone’s best efforts and allows people to move on. In the ER of life, we each need to know when it is time to let unproductive projects or initiatives rest, and devote our time and attention to bringing life and vitality to other worthy endeavors.