Iraq is a mess. Much of the blame lies with the TE-TBD Syndrome. Too Eager To Be Done. It affects all of us. Not just a weary President faced with declining public support, increasingly frustrating Iraqi leadership, and a war he never wanted. We all wanted to be done with Iraq, some much sooner than others. It doesn’t matter. When we are Too Eager To Be Done, we stop investing the time, energy, and resources needed to continue learning, make smart decisions, manage risks, and successfully wrap up what we’ve started. Too Eager To Be Done Syndrome leads to wishful thinking, dismissal of key indicators, and hand-waving. We are bored, tired, and eager to move on. We want it out of sight, out of mind.

That’s when things fall apart. Iraq. Your employee engagement project. The platform consolidation effort. That massive training program that never changed anything. Big launch. Slow fizzle.

To avoid TE-TBD, you must recognize when you are succumbing to its power. Before you start dropping the ball, dismissing the issues, ignoring those employees who’ve invested their hearts and hours, and gearing up for the next shiny yellow project.

When you get that first strong Urge To Be Done, take notice. Figure out why you feel the way you do. Was the consolidation effort really a bad idea or is it your implementation methods that need tweaking? Hold up the mirror, reexamine the original objectives, and invoke the discipline to make conscious, informed decisions that consider more than the obvious options and consequences.

Note also that there is energy in that Urge To Be Done. Harness it to increase your focus and determination. Find a new champion, change up the team, jack up the volume on the progress indicators.

Backing down may be the right thing to do. But don’t do it just because you are TE-TBD!