Welcome back to The CP Journal, where we break down what it takes to get left of bang.
How do you bring the things you’re working on to a close? How and when will you end your projects?
The idea of an exit strategy is important enough that Robert Greene gave it its own chapter in The 33 Strategies of War. He understood that how we end things often matters as much as how we begin them.
The reality is that we’re judged by how well we conclude our work—both in when we decide to do it and how we do it. End things poorly, and our reputation suffers. The good work we did gets overshadowed by the frustration we leave behind. We risk creating new enemies, redoing work, and setting traps for ourselves that are harder to escape the next time.
End things well, and the opposite happens. We propel ourselves and our organizations forward, carried by the momentum that comes with the confidence and trust earned from getting things done—and done right.
This topic was on my mind this week as we kicked off the section in our Project Management Playbook about ending projects (see the “Inside The CP Journal” section below). Too often, closeout is an afterthought—something we’ll “get to” once the real work is finished. But leaving closure to chance is risky. When we wait to figure it out until the moment we’re tired, distracted, or already chasing the next thing, we risk losing the progress we just paid for.
If we’re serious about preparing for an uncertain future, that means we also have to get good at stopping things. Some of what we’re doing today won’t make sense tomorrow. Ending well isn’t just administrative cleanup—it’s a strategic act that frees up time, resources, and attention for what’s next. When we close a project cleanly, people understand why it ended and what it made possible. They are ready to support what is coming next.
Personally, the times I haven’t done this well are the ones I remember and make me cringe in hindsight. The missteps almost always trace back to one of three things: not framing and thinking of my work as a project with a clear start and end, not defining an intentional way out from the beginning, or losing the discipline to see something through before jumping to the next opportunity. Each of those lapses taught me something about readiness.
Projects are our proving grounds. They’re how we build the discipline, focus, and skills that real crises demand. They give us a controlled environment to test our systems, our discipline, and our judgment through measurable performance. Anyone can get it right once and believe they are ready. The question is whether we can close things out well on demand—consistently, deliberately, and with the kind of finish that builds trust every single time.
We don’t wait until we’re out of ammo to decide how we’ll disengage, and finishing well is how we create the momentum needed to stay ready for what comes next.
Inside The CP Journal
Here is what we added to the site this week.
You created something that didn’t exist before. That’s work worth being proud of. Too many projects stall before reaching this point—they lose support, drift off course, or fade away before delivering value. You made it through. But you’re not finished yet. Stopping the moment the plan is submitted or the AAR goes out means missing a final opportunity to ensure your work continues to matter.
🔒This article kicks off a focus for our project management playbook on how we end projects and how leaders set up successful transitions into the organization’s day-to-day operations.
This Week‘s Reads
Here are a few reads and listens from the week with insights, ideas, and perspectives that caught my attention about things related to getting left of bang.
Podcast | Become Exceptional with Dr. Julie Gurner. In this interview with Kyle Shepard, executive performance coach Julie Gurner covers a wide range of topics that will spark new thinking about your work and development. You’ll likely find at least one insight that resonates with your professional or personal growth.
Article | Three tough truths about climate. Bill Gates made headlines this week with an article that some interpret as suggesting resources should shift away from climate change to focus on other issues like disease and hunger. I know this drifts into political topics, which I work to avoid in our newsletters, but it does tie into getting left of bang. This article provides different perspectives on the drivers of change, both natural hazards and security-related. It details innovations and improvements that have led to a 40% reduction in emissions forecasts over the last 10 years, along with many other topics related to human welfare and health.
Article | Writes and Write-Nots. In this essay, Paul Graham, one of the founders of tech accelerator Y Combinator, predicts that AI will drastically reduce the number of people who can write within just a few decades. Writing well is hard, but it’s essential for clear thinking. Just as we train our bodies at the gym, those who continue sharpening their writing skills will become an increasingly rare and valuable class.
Enjoyed This Issue? Pass It On and Go Deeper.
If this newsletter sparked ideas or challenged your thinking, share it with your network, a colleague, or on social media. Sharing is how we expand the community of professionals committed to getting and staying left of bang.
And if you want to go further, become a paying subscriber for exclusive access to:
The Tactical Analysis Course & behavioral analysis practice exercises from the book Left of Bang.
A growing list of playbooks and resource guides that are being developed alongside our client work to prepare for an uncertain future.
Exclusive “left of bang leadership” articles, sent out twice a month.
And if you’re thinking about how to strengthen your organization’s preparedness, that’s what we do. Whether it’s strategy development, assessments, planning, speaking events, or exercises, we help teams build the skills and strategies to stay ahead of the next challenge.