Half-Measures Never Fly: "Il ne faut jamais faire les choses à moitié" - A Business Lesson from Yves Montand

Sunday mornings are always my lazy mornings when I listen to French music. My favorite is Yves Montand, and his album 'Yves Montand chante Jacques Prévert'. He sings Prévert's poems with such emotion that they stay with you long after the music stops.

One song that particularly resonates with me is "Fable" - a poignant story about a small village where the only cat kills and half-eats the only bird. During the bird's funeral, a little girl carrying the dead bird can't stop crying. The cat, seeing her distress, says: "If I had known this would hurt you so much, I would have eaten it whole, and told you the bird had flown away to the end of the world, never to return. You would have had less sorrow, just sadness and regrets."

His lesson? "Il ne faut jamais faire les choses à moitié" - One should never do things halfway.

This wisdom applies perfectly to strategic planning for small businesses. Taking shortcuts can cost you more than you save. I've seen too many businesses attempt to implement their vision in phases, only to find themselves stuck in perpetual "Phase 1" with diminishing returns.

A complete strategic plan—executed fully from the start—creates momentum, aligns your team, and prevents the costly stop-and-start cycle that drains resources. Your business deserves more than a piecemeal approach.

The most successful small businesses I've worked with commit to doing things right the first time. They understand that half-measures yield half-results.

Ready to transform your business with a comprehensive strategic plan? Let's talk about creating a roadmap that doesn't just point to success, but actually takes you there.

Let Montand's haunting rendition of "Fable" inspire your business journey - the melody and message might just change your approach to strategic planning forever: Listen to it here.