Guy and Madonna show us the way

So, Mr & Mrs Ritchie have decided to call it a day. No great surprise there. But in doing so, they have demonstrated that you can still end a relationship, no matter how multi-layered, with dignity.

There is a good lesson here for us in business. We often hang on to failing businesses or favourite ventures, in the misguided hope that we can turn it around. Look at the current disastrous position that Woolworth's have got themselves in. 

When we see that despite the best intentions, we cannot make a business or a division a success, we need to boldly take decisive action. Like a surgeon removing a tumour, the cut must be quick, lest we allow the rest of the body to be infected.