How to get unstuck

One of the best compliments I get from clients is when they say, “We’ve made more progress in the past six months working with you on [insert complicated problem here], than we have in the past six years.” Facing a tough or ambiguous problem at work or in your personal life is like staring into a thick fog. It’s hard to see what lies ahead, so many people just stay put, watching the months… and then the years, tick by.

As someone who is equal parts change-addicted and routine-avoidant, I tend to find myself in the middle of organizational change efforts. I’ve helped dozens of change efforts reach the other side of the unknown abyss successfully. Below is a summary of ways I’ve helped organizations get unstuck and start moving from the stage of pontificating about “someday we should…” to a new reality.

First, consider why you’re stuck. Sometimes being stuck is a sign that you›re unclear on goals. What specific outcome do you crave? What does success look like? Be as detailed as possible. The clearer you can describe your desired state, the more likely it is that it can be achieved. Another question to consider is whether you’re chasing the wrong goals, or pursuing them for the wrong reasons. Is your motive to make improvements, or to feed your ego? Are you trying to win for your team, or just for yourself? Are your goals in line with your long-term goals? Finally, a key reason for being stuck could be that you don’t have support for your ideas. If you find yourself operating alone, take time to get buy in from your stakeholders, senior leaders, peers, partners, or others needed to help make the effort successful. Gaining support could be a necessary precursor to future progress. 

With confirmation on your goals and top-level support, it’s time to start unfreezing and make progress towards on your change initiative. This feels uncomfortable, as if looking into thick fog. When driving into fog, a good idea is to reduce your speed and keep your lights low. As you move forward you can see further down the path, but you must do so slowly and deliberately to avoid uncertainty and expensive mistakes. Forward is a pace; small progress is still progress. Break your vision down into smaller, actionable steps to help you move ahead deliberately and without catastrophe.

If you’re still feeling stuck, try changing your perspective. One way that has worked for me and my clients is to discuss the problem with someone distanced from it, perhaps even someone in another industry, profession or leadership level. It’s easy to become myopic when surrounded by similar viewpoints. A health care client recently was feeling hopeless about high turnover in their industry, as if there was nothing they could do to improve employee engagement. Unfortunately, their health care peers shared similar views. But when she spoke with a hospitality leader about creative ways for new hire onboarding and guest service, she walked away with plenty of new ideas. 

A benefit of comparing notes with other people is that people are simply wired differently. I do a lot of work with personality assessments, and some individuals are wired for process and precision, with strong attention to detail and respect for rules and regulations. Others are wired for innovation and agility, with a big-picture vision and ability to persuade others to change. If you’re the process/precision person, you might benefit from a visionary who can breathe confidence into your ideas. If you’re the innovator, you will benefit from a detail-oriented partner to help bring your ideas to life. 

Another way to change your perspective is to get out of the office. Some fresh air, or even an entirely new hobby that gets you out of your comfort zone, can provide the inertia-breaking boost needed to inspire progress toward your goals. One client recently shared that they had tried rock climbing at a local gym, which left them feeling strong and “invincible.” This feeling infused their work with new energy and they finally made progress on a big IT initiative. 

Finally, sometimes to get unstuck you need to bring in a professional coach, subject-matter expert or consultant. The right professional can serve as a qualified sounding board, providing the real-world experience needed to help you overcome inertia and add confidence and actionable steps to your ideas. 

Just because you’re stuck in the fog doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to see. It just means that you need to make small progress so that you can see further down your desired path. 

Kelly Gust is the CEO of HR Full Circle, a Springfield-based consulting firm that provides talent management and human resources consulting to organizations of all sizes and stages.

This article appears in Capital City Jobs 2024.