Knowing when an idea isn't worth pursuing

Last week Defra announced that it would be extending the controversial badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire. According Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State, the badgers had 'moved the goalposts' which meant that less badgers than anticipated had been killed. Damned inconsiderate of them.

This is a government that is determined to grow the economy. That is the single point of focus for every decision they make. The fact that it was exactly this sort of attitude that led to the biggest financial meltdown in history seems to have evaded our ministers, which might be the reason they are also spurning the mantra extolled by business leaders the world over - If you fail, fail fast and move on.

The badger cull was a pilot to see if it would work and it had a budget (sort of) and a timescale (6 weeks). To now say the timescale needs to be extended would suggest that the pilot has failed in its objectives and therefore as an idea it doesn't work.

In many businesses there is a governance process to kill ideas that aren't working so that new ideas can be worked on. Bad ideas cost money, drain resources and often lead to loss of reputation. Taking risks is encouraged but knowing when to stop and admit failure is key to long term success.

The problem with the badger cull is that the idea seems to be the Secretary of State's and yet he is also the person that ultimately governs the department so who is going to say 'Hold on this hasn't worked let's pull the plug and try something else'?

Just this weekend we have seen the Chairman of the FA being lambasted in the media for clinging onto his idea, despite the fact that it appears not to have been thought through and other initiatives with similar objectives are already in place.

Fred Goodwin, the former CEO of RBS was said to have had a bee in his bonnet about acquiring ABN Amro despite advice to the contrary. Look where that got him.

How many actors turned writers/directors pursued the vanity project, throwing millions into a movie that everyone else turned down because they could see it would flop at the box office?

Of course some people are stubborn and they get it right. Steve Jobs didn't listen the criticism of the iPod when it was first launched, he knew that people would eventually love it but he also did something to help people organise and play their music.

I'm not sure killing badgers is going to be Owen Paterson's iPod moment but it could be his Zune.