Why are you not making progress?
Getting stuck involves a few reasons:
You don’t know what the problem is.
You know what the problem is but don’t know how to solve the issue.
You know the problem, and you know the solution, but you can’t decide what to do.
Lastly, you may have done all that but what you are doing is not working.
No matter what stage you are stuck in, they are all a little difficult to deal with.
If you don’t know what the problem is, how do you proceed?
A few suggestions: research by yourself, ask an expert ( co-workers, managers, out of your dept). Identify the problem…take the SMART approach- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely or a proven process.
If you know the problem but don’t know the answer, how should you proceed?
Again do a little research and follow a specific process.
If you have the problem identified and can’t decide on an answer, well, this is where the majority of people have the problems. They may have some emotional investment that prevents them from choosing a solid answer. Maybe it is tied to their beliefs, values, and own concerns. You might want to ask, what is the right thing to do for this company? For the client? Do I feel comfortable making the decision even If I don’t have all the answers and options? Ambiguity is something you may have to embrace in these situations. I would also ask the rewards and benefits and costs. In business, they conduct a SWOT analysis-Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats.
If you have decided on what to do but is having trouble taking action, then what? This is another area where I see a lot of intelligent people making bad choices. I don’t understand that. What I have gathered here is even if people have the knowledge, knowledge is not enough. We don’t make our choices based on facts alone. We are moved by emotions, feelings, and moods play a considerable part in our actions and inactions. I don’t know why that is, but I learned if you are in this category, you may have to pre-plan. Some people may say, well I am not a planner. Then I ask, how important is your goal for you? Are you ready to work on your goals?