Getting Unstuck

By Sam Chand

Do you feel stuck?

All of us have been there before, at one time or another. It could be a setback in your personal life, a roadblock your organization has come up against, something on your team that’s holding you back, or any number of obstacles leading you to feel this way. The feeling in itself isn’t the enemy, and it’s not inherently bad. In fact, it can actually help catapult you forward.

I want to suggest that when you feel stuck, you cannot get unstuck from the inside. You can only get unstuck from the outside. Let me explain what I mean by this.

At one time, I lived in Michigan. There were a few times when my car went into the ditch on icy, snowy, slippery roads. I had wheels on my car. I had gas in my car. I had a steering wheel. I had an accelerator… all of the essentials, right? But once I was in the ditch, I was stuck. I could not simply drive myself out of the ditch. Do you know what I had to do? I had to call a tow truck.

A tow truck came, hooked itself up to my car, and pulled me out of the ditch. It got me unstuck. If you're feeling stuck right now, your help will come from somebody on the outside. I don't know what that means in your context—you have a greater grasp on what it looks like since you’re the one in your own shoes. But somebody from the outside will be able to help you. They can come, hook up their chain, and pull you out of your ditch. The key is to reach out for help. Making the call, sending the email, and being humble enough to admit that you can’t do this on your own are the first steps. They’re big steps for many leaders, but they’re essential.

The second thing that you need to know about being stuck is that it will require a big move on your part. You can’t get unstuck merely by making some tweaks or a few minor adjustments. I couldn’t have gotten my car out of the ditch by detaching my rearview mirror and carrying it out with me. No, you get unstuck by making big, bold moves, and that calls for courage. Courage seems to be a theme throughout these principles, does it not? Be willing to ask for help, and be willing to make big moves in response to the help you receive. That’s how you get out of the ditch.

If you're feeling stuck, keep these two things in mind. Number one, you're going to get unstuck thanks to help from the outside. Think outside the box as to who it might be who can best help you. And number two, you're going to get unstuck only if you have the courage to make that bold move.

You don't have to stay stuck. You can move forward with a little bit of courage.

This blog was extracted from my new book, Turbo Leadership: Power points for maximum performance. Invest in your leadership by getting your copy at SamChandBook.com.