August 22, 2024 | By David M. Wagner

Has anyone ever asked you for advice?

If you had experience with the kind of problem they asked about, you likely had helpful suggestions for their consideration.

Now let’s flip the script. Let’s say you’re feeling stuck and unsure about what steps to take.

Why not ask for advice from someone who has been in a similar situation?

Just this week, I asked a colleague for her advice about building a service I knew she had experience with.

Without hesitation, she had a ton of pointers on what to do first (and what not to do).

Three Steps to Getting Unstuck

This article is the third in a four-part series about getting unstuck as I launch Roadblocked to Resolved, my new service for nonprofit leaders who need a roadmap through difficult challenges.

Step one is getting clear about what needs to change (i.e., figuring out exactly where you are).

The second step: envisioning a better future (i.e., figuring out exactly where you want to go).

All that’s left is to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B.

Just knowing where each point is can be helpful, but when you’ve never been to Point B, it’s often difficult to imagine how to get there.

3 Tips for Finding a Path

When the path ahead feels uncertain, here are three techniques for finding a way forward.

1. Ask for advice. You likely know someone who has been through a situation with some resemblance to your current challenge. As I shared above, getting pointers from someone who already knows the way is incredibly effective. Ask how they handled the problem or change and what they would do differently a second time.

2. Brainstorm under a “blue sky.” Limiting beliefs (perhaps about the time, resources, and capacity we don’t have) can make it feel like we have no good options. Ruling out ideas prematurely hinders our ability to consider more achievable variations or even questioning those underlying assumptions (what if you had access to more resources?). Get the creativity flowing by listing possible paths to Point B, unhindered by any limitations.

3. Start small. After you have several ideas, ask: What’s the smallest, simplest option that would make a positive difference? Starting small minimizes risk while creating an opportunity to learn what will (and won’t) work for your organization. You can make meaningful progress without overcommitting to an unproven plan or waiting to figure out all the details first.

Having a realistic first move from where you are to where you’d like to be is the final step in getting unstuck. Finding your way is much easier with advice from others, exploring options without limiting beliefs, and finding small-scale solutions to start moving in the right direction.

Identifying realistic first moves is a core benefit of Roadblocked to Resolved. Stay tuned for the big reveal about that service next week or, if you’re ready to jump in, set a free consult with me today.