Getting Unstuck

Huỳnh Thanh Huy, 17th Annual Photo Contest. Đăng tải bởi Bảo Khương 1997, Đại học Kiến Trúc. [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)]

What does it mean to be stuck?

The connotations of being stuck are seldom good: trapped, burdened, baffled, hung up, immovable… Well, this last one might not be so bad as long as being immovable is what is needed. A lighthouse stuck on a dangerous reef is probably a good thing! A ship, not so much.

Are you or your team stuck? Does being stuck matter?

Most of the time, being stuck is a blocker. The first step to determining if being stuck is bad for you or your team is to assess the impact of being stuck on your ability get stuff done. If you weren't stuck, could you do better?

Some of the time being stuck is not that obvious.

Depending on the status quo, being stuck might be the norm and as such not recognized as something bad. Sometimes, you're stuck and nobody notices or particularly cares. Good luck if you need their help to get unstuck!

Recognizing and calling out stuck and helping teams get unstuck is why we have coaches. Not every incidence of being stuck is equal. Sometimes being stuck doesn't really matter. Great coaches help their teams figure out when being stuck is bad and help their teams figure out how to get unstuck.

Getting stuck is normal and expected.

You will get stuck. How quickly you get unstuck when being stuck is bad is what matters. In light of these observations, here are some questions to consider:

• How good is your team at recognizing that they're stuck?

• Does your team have an effective process for assessing the impact of being stuck?

• How quickly does the team devise solutions for getting unstuck?

• How quickly does the team successfully execute these solutions?

Need help getting unstuck?

It’s not uncommon for people to contact me when they want help to get unstuck. I can do that.

Want to develop your team’s proficiency for getting unstuck themselves?

I can do that, too. Simply getting a team unstuck is a temporary thing. Inevitably they will get stuck again. The best teams are proficient at getting unstuck themselves. If you are interested in developing your team’s proficiency in getting unstuck themselves, let me know and we can devise a plan together to help your team build competency in getting unstuck. Contact me and let’s set up a time to chat.