Chapter 2

Why do I always have an explanation for bad news?

Tin xấu tới, sao tôi luôn có sẵn lời giải thích?

The chapter's question

What reason did I use to explain away the latest bad news?

Big idea

Founders are best at finding explanations for bad news, and that is their most dangerous skill.

In this chapter

  1. Part 2.1

    Reasons and Excuses

    How do I tell them apart?

  2. Part 2.2

    What Changed in Three Months

    Which number is genuinely improving?

  3. Part 2.3

    Asking an Outsider

    Who can tell me straight?

  4. Part 2.4

    Money Already Spent

    Why should it not influence the decision?

The reading for this chapter is inside Conan School

This chapter has 4 readings, with case stories and exercises. Chapter 1 of When to Change Direction is free to read right here.

Read in Conan School

Chapters of When to Change Direction

  1. 1.Why decide when to quit while things still look fine?
  2. 2.Why do I always have an explanation for bad news?
  3. 3.Does pivoting mean starting over, or keeping something?
  4. 4.Will a pivot make my team stop trusting me?
  5. 5.Is stopping failure, or saving what matters most?