Sometimes, no matter how much we try as leaders, we can get STUCK. Stuck in a personal rut; stuck with a strategy that is not working or not producing results fast enough; stuck with a team member that is performing below par; stuck in a difficult client relationship; stuck with a challenging relationship with a boss – you name it – it happens.
Here are some tactics to try if you feel yourself or someone on your team is trapped in the same cycle or “stuck”:
- Assess what is working | what is not | reflect on this information.
- Change your approach – try a new way to get your message across.
- Put yourself in your stakeholders’ shoes – figure out the outcome they need – or better yet ask them!
- Take a break from the situation.
- Bow out of the situation if you feel you are the roadblock and give responsibility over to someone else on your team.
- Focus on the areas that are really working for you.
- Do not feel pressure to make a decision, a delay sometimes means it is simply not the right time to act.
- Call a mentor/coach.
- If appropriate, talk it through with your team.
- Gather more intelligence – more diverse opinions.
- Change up your schedule – do things in a different order.
TAKE A BREAK and if you can, get a change of scenery. Often a simple change of your physical area can do the trick.
