I've used this notion with bosses, when I was still working. New ones come in, all enthused, and we're going to do this-and-that, and I ask what are we going to *stop* doing. They tend to get a bit derailed when I ask

Sometime in the mid-1990s, I had been in practice for a few years in a multispecialty clinic and had some fairly firm notions of what was a good use of my time (seeing and caring for patients) and what wasn't (most meetings and two-thirds of the paperwork).

The newby medical director stopped by my office to introduce me to a new form. I said, Sure - but what paperwork are you *discontinuing*? 'cause I'm overbusy, and have small children at home.

He viewed my response as antagonistic and unhelpful. (And I never saw the form again)

Fast forward a few years: the clinic has gone under, he's off medical directoring a couple of thousand miles away, and my specialty partners have asked me to be president of the single-specialty startup.

It's still going strong, thankyouforasking

--sutton
giving Greg a few more years, barring anything looking egregiously dumb