The windmills of your mind — Decision Puzzle 05

Decision Puzzles are based on real events, where a critical decision is required without prior preparation. There may be various solutions depending on the situation and the decision maker. What would be yours?

Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind

This is how the lyrics of M. Legrand’s song “The Windmills of Your Mind” end. It’s from the 1968 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” directed by N. Jewison, about a heist. A remake was released in 1999.

At the end of the film (spoiler alert!) the investigator (played by Faye Dunaway) had to decide either to accept that she was unsuccessful or to follow the thief (played by Steve McQueen) to become his accomplice.

A worldwide crisis in the markets, like the one caused by the pandemic, has put you in a similar dilemma as an entrepreneur/executive. The conditions around your business is causing you to make unpleasant decisions. You may need to close shop or downsize significantly with the hope of surviving this difficult period. You have almost no financial resources left and under pressure to find the least bad solution.

Last week, you worked hard to prepare the list of people you have to let go, reducing the number of employees to an absolute minimum. One of them, and not one of the best, is on the phone. She is telling you that her husband lost his job 2 months ago and couldn’t find a new position yet. As a family they are almost bankrupt. They don’t know how to send their son to school. She asks for your help; in whatever form it may be.

What would be a wise decision?