The most common thread in discussions about development be it personal or organisation is the fact that motivation can plateau, proactive action taking can decline and the ability to move forward can take a nosedive.
Being stuck isn’t peculiar to any one type of person, it can happen to anyone or any organisation.
3 signs that you’re stuck
1. Dissatisfied with the current situation
2. Feel paralysed to change
3. Lack of direction
3 Steps to move from stuck to transformation
1. Deep audit
Carve out time to reflect on the issues causing the dissatisfaction.
Make the time to do a deep audit to distinguish between a bad patch or a real impasse. This means a full and frank reflection on where you are, your goals, challenges, pressure points, weaknesses, development needs and arriving at a clear understanding.
2. Challenge apathy
Apathy is a consequence of prolonged inaction. If you are stuck because you’ve not been taking action towards your goals or you haven’t allowed yourself to take stock, this needs to be challenged. A practical way to do this is to set a ‘control meter’. This means allocating time to identify areas that are within your control and think about areas you don’t feel you have control over and whether or not this creates barriers to success. Usually when you feel stuck you imagine yourself to be out of control and this can create apathy. After completing the ‘control meter’ move to step 3.
3. Set meaningful challenges
Being stuck, can lead to burnout, boredom and lack of motivation. For an organisation, it can create repeated cycles which maintain and reinforce everything that isn’t working. One way to counter this is to set meaningful challenges. This rekindles excitement and motivation. It’s best done after steps 1 and 2. The results can be transformational. To create momentum you could join a group of peers or you can commit to journaling to track progression. Setting challenges ignites change. An organisation that is stuck, may be out of practice looking inwards but a well facilitated meeting with an objective third party such as an organisational development consultant can start the process and help with meaningful challenges. These challenges kickstart, motivation, productivity and growth!
