“Most obstacles are imaginary; the rest are only temporary.”  ~Scott Sorrel

We all get stuck sometimes…it’s part of the human experience. We know what we want to achieve and have a plan for doing it, but suddenly we’re faced with a challenge that mystifies us. The situation may involve a problem or opportunity, but the fact is, we don’t know how to resolve it given the present circumstances (or aren’t willing to because of certain implications). In other words, becoming unstuck isn’t about problems/opportunities—it’s about problems/opportunities with no clear way to address them.

There are as many ways to be stuck as there are aspects to our lives. We can become stuck with our spouse or kids, our friends, our careers or boss, our physical well-being, our spiritual development, etc. Anything of significance that we set out to accomplish can, and most likely will, become stuck at one time or another.

Professional change facilitators are not immune to being stuck. From time to time, even the most accomplished practitioners, applying the most capable execution methodologies, are unable to find a viable resolution to a particular implementation problem/opportunity. When this happens, it doesn’t mean the blockage is insurmountable or that our methodologies have failed us. Being stuck is usually a signal that we need to stop and recalibrate whatever approach we’re using…continuing the path we’re on is unlikely to release the obstruction.

A change initiative becomes stuck when an important aspect of the implementation process loses direction and/or momentum toward its intended result, and there is no confidence that a viable mitigation plan is in place. That’s a mouthful, so let me break it down into its six main points:

• Important Aspect—All implementation approaches are populated with specific steps or actions (key milestones or events, techniques, procedures, etc.). When one or more of these falters, it’s a concern, but not every problem causes an initiative to get stuck—only those that affect realization of the project’s intent.
• Intended Result—Each of these steps or actions has a desired outcome that will foster progress.
• Lost Direction—This occurs when an aspect’s purpose has been forgotten, misdirected, or fractionated/diffused so much that the intended result is no longer clear for people.
• Lost Momentum—This occurs when the forward motion of an aspect slows (or stops altogether) well before achieving its contribution to the initiative’s realization.
• Viable Mitigation Plan—It is impossible to tell if a mitigation plan is the right one until it has been fully played out. Prior to that, a plan can only be assessed on its viability…its capability for success, not its assurance for success.
• No Confidence—Sometimes, risky mitigation plans are pursued, even in the face of pessimistic odds, because the practitioner believes that the plan can prevail. On the other hand, even low-risk mitigation plans are likely to fail if the practitioner doesn’t believe in them.

There aren’t any negative connotations to being stuck, provided we address the blockage in an effective and timely manner. Our role in becoming unstuck involves the following:

• Recognizing when progress has stopped or is in jeopardy
• Correctly diagnosing the contributing factors
• Engaging the proper mitigating action so progress can once again take place

Unfortunately, initiatives that remain stuck contribute to 70% of change endeavors falling short of their stated goals. Our role is to address these kinds of obstructions when they occur. Given how pervasive and damaging being stuck can be, it is important that we share as much with each other as we can about what’s been learned and what we’re doing to deal with it.

Here are some of my perspectives on being stuck. I encourage you to join in with your observations.

Recognize when progress has stopped or slowed

A “stuck” situation has three components:

• Context (the background terrain)

• What are the overall initiative’s expected realization outcomes?

• What general aspect of the implementation is stuck?

• Stuck point (the specific place where symptoms of lost direction and/or momentum become apparent)

• What is not moving forward as it needs to?

• What has been done to try to unstick the situation?

• Underlying dynamics (where lenses and patterns are first revealed) (see my previous series on lenses and patterns)

• What is/is not occurring at the meta-level that has led to the stuck symptoms?

A project may become stuck at the initiative or the practitioner level

• The situation may lessen the promised benefits of the overall change endeavor (initiative) or keep you from fulfilling your charter as the change facilitator (practitioner)
• An initiative that is stuck (the project has lost direction and/or momentum) only becomes problematic when the practitioner becomes stuck (doesn’t know what to do about it)

Correctly diagnose what’s contributing to being stuck

Several factors may contribute to a loss of direction or momentum at the initiative level:

• There never was sufficient clarity and/or senior executive alignment around the initiative’s real purpose
• The clarity and alignment that once existed  has become thin and divided
• There is insufficient sponsor commitment
• Realization aspirations are pursued with an installation mindset
• Attempting transformational change with an incremental budget and/or timeline
• The people involved have inadequate remaining capacity to absorb the initiative’s implications
• There is misalignment between the cultural norms and the actions needed for the initiative to succeed
• The people most affected by the changes are not included to the extent needed in the implementation planning
• People are reluctant to raise implementation risk early and forthrightly

Initiatives routinely become stuck, but these situations become problematic only when the practitioner doesn’t know what to resolve the issue. It is important, then, for practitioners to watch for the warning signs of being stuck:

• Change agents try to address tough political, cultural, or personality-driven issues while at the same time attempting to keep everyone happy
• They accept more responsibility for an initiative’s success than the initiating sponsor does
• They try to resolve problems/opportunities by working at the level of symptoms instead of working at the level of underlying dynamics (see lenses and patterns).
• They fail to communicate what needs to be said (which, if said, it would likely make a difference).

-        Reasons practitioners fail to communicate:

• They won’t. (For various reasons, they withhold what needs to be said.)
• They can’t. (For various reasons, they are unable to convey what needs to be said and, therefore, are probably not the right person for the role.)

• What is not said by the practitioner often stems from unfulfilled expectations that were never agreed to in the first place (usually due to poor or nonexistent contracting).

• They fail to tell the truth.

• Change agents should strive to be truthful:

• To themselves about themselves
• To themselves about their clients
• To their clients about themselves
• To their clients about their clients

• To be of value, practitioner truth-telling should be communicated three ways:

• With accuracy—correct, proper, just, and meticulous
• With directness—straightforward, unequivocal, crisp, compassionate, and unambiguous
• With understanding—empathetic, respectful, sensitive, and compassionate

Take action to start moving forward again

An initiative will inevitably become stuck during major transitions. Therefore, the heart of the change facilitator’s reason for being is to address these inhibitors to progress.

Change agents don’t unstick initiatives themselves, they facilitate the appropriate people in doing it. They surface the information needed for people to make informed decisions about the actions necessary to become unstuck. This is done by determining what’s missing (not said) that would foster initiative success and either encourage others to communicate the message to the appropriate person(s) or communicate it themselves.

Seldom is a situation too stuck to be resolved, although practitioners may decide that “it’s just not worth it” (which is fine as long as this is openly communicated to the appropriate person[s]).

Remember, if you’re stuck, you’re in good company. Every seasoned practitioner has, at times, been unable to deal with a particular implementation problem. Address the blockage quickly and effectively by recognizing the problem, diagnosing the contributing factors, and engaging the proper mitigating action.

I recently conducted a one-hour webinar to help two “stuck” practitioners diagnose an implementation problem and decide on a mitigation plan. You can access the recording by clicking on The Front Lines of Change icon in the sidebar.

Next: How to Get Unstuck