Leadership Tip: The Simplest Cure for getting out of a Rut

Leadership Tip: The Simplest Cure for getting out of a Rut.

Occasionally everyone gets into a rut. A rut is a "habit or pattern that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change." There is nothing wrong with being in a rut. Being in a rut is actually a good thing. A very good thing come to think of it.

It is a good thing in that you have to slow down and re-evaluate what you were doing to get into that rut or slump in the first place. Then you can begin working to find a solution to get you out of that rut. Once determined, you take action to make that solution a reality.

So what is the cure?

The cure is to SLOW DOWN.

Easier said than done! I know. However, I truly know no other way to get out of the rut than to slow down and work your way out of it.

One of my duty stations in the US Army was with the 197th Infantry Brigade (M) (S). The M stands for Mechanized and that meant we used Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) to move from Point A to Point B. For about six months, I was a driver of an M113 APC. That meant that I was the guy in the driver’s seat while the rest of my Infantry squad sat in the back of the APC. It was very cool driving a 13-ton APC through the South Georgia woods at Fort Benning.

When we deployed to the field, we would drive down the tank trails to get to our staging areas. On those trails there would be posted signs that read, “Don’t Track Your Buddy”

All you had to do is look down to understand what was going on. The vehicle tracks start cutting into the ground and at one point you are scraping the center underside of the vehicle against the ground (that which the tracks have not eroded).

Ruts In the Road (for this post please replace the grass with mud & the dirt with deeper mushy mud)

During most vehicle convoys, all the vehicles will come to a complete standstill, most of the time without any reason. If you find yourself tracking your buddy, you and your vehicle do not want to stop in one of those ruts. Especially, if those ruts are muddy because when the convoy starts up again you and your APC are going to sit there spinning your tracks. The vehicle’s underside is resting on the “elevated” ground and both sets of tracks are moving nothing but mud. Here is where the slowing down and working the problem comes into play.

The truth is there is not a quick and clean solution to getting a 13-ton M113 APC out of the muddy ruts. It will be a time consuming and muddy affair but it can be done.

The same applies in business and in life. As a leader, you are allowed to get into a rut. It is only human nature to fall into those ruts. However, as a leader you are expected to get yourself out from the ruts as soon as possible but do not be hasty in getting out.

If you do not think it through and try to work the problem you may find yourself right back in those ruts. Going for the quick fix is not the answer. Take your time, you worked long and hard to get to where you are now. Naturally, it will take time to get back on track.

Once back on track, remember to stay cognitive of the fact that it will happen. You are human after all.

A special notice to those Leaders that know someone that has fallen into that rut. Show them some empathy but do NOT attempt to pull them out of that rut by yourself. Let them know you are there to help but they have to get out of it by themselves. Otherwise, they will fall into that rut the first chance they get. However, this time they will blame you and they will have every right to do so.

One last time: Get all the data you need about the rut you are in. Take your time developing a plan of action. Act on the plan. Adjust accordingly. Get out of that rut!

Thank you,
David Guerra

P.S. I never got stuck in the muddy road ruts. Now getting my 13-ton vehicle at a 45° incline is a different story for a different time.


I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @daveguerra • visit my website: www.daveguerra.com


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107. About Plans: Follow Through (Part 4)

You've got your plan in writing, you've launched it, now what?

You FOLLOW THROUGH!!!

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines FOLLOW THROUGH as "to press on in an activity or process especially to a conclusion"

This means once the ball gets rolling there is no stopping it until you get the end.  So go with it! Of course, there will dips in the road, speed bumps, and even stop signs. However, that should NOT completely stop you (more on that later) it should serve as an opportunity to adjust or refine your plan and its execution (more on that later).

In the meantime, the ball is rolling and all you have to do is just keep going!

Thank you,
Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

Here are some Technorati Tags: • 100 Days, 100 Ways • Follow Through • Execute • See it to the end • Keep the ball rolling • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero

106. About Plans: Execution! (Part 3)

Now that you have your plan on paper, what happens next? Now you have this treatise that will define your future for tomorrow, next month, next year and you are probably wondering when do you start?

You start NOW!!! Not tomorrow, not this weekend, you start right now!!!

If for some reason you don't start right now, like you are in a full body cast and cannot train for the next 5K then you start the moment you are physically able.

Seriously, if you PLAN to start next week, guess what? Next week never comes and what does come will be plenty of nonsense and excuses. If all you want to do is complain then why start? There can be no half-ass attempt at having a plan in place and attempting to execute that plan.
 
...and that's why NOW is the best time to start in executing your plan.



Thank you,
Dave Guerra

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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105. About Plans (part II: ideas)

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Ideas must work through the brains and the arms of good brave men, or they are no better than dreams."

All plans are born from ideas. Ideas, in most cast cases, come to the mind as a result of addressing a need, an injustice, or just to make life a little easier. No matter what the reason, all plans come from ideas. You could say that a plan is an idea that has been defined to laser sharp focus and then made real once it is on paper.

On paper, an idea becomes real. It becomes tangible. Then and only then is the idea, now the plan, truly ready to be executed (acted on).

Work your idea, turn it into a plan, and make it happen.


Thank you,
Dave Guerra


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Update to the Resolutions

A couple of days ago I posted my resolutions for 2008 and discovered that there were two things seriously missing from my resolutions:

6. Volunteer (any suggestions would be appreciated)
7. Read one book a month

There we go, seven resolutions sounds like a lot but it can be done. So if I can do it, we all can do it. All it takes is one step.

At first, that is until the ball is really rolling I will post one update a week on how the resolutions are going. Then I will drop it down to once every other week.

So here they are in order:

1. Run in a 10K race
2. Lower BP without the need for medicine
3. Finish 2nd Draft of New Book by end of March
4. Drink less coffee (I know it's blasphemy but I gotta do what I gotta do)
5. Drink more H20
6. Volunteer
7. Read one new book a month
   

tags: Dave Guerra, Resolutions, Plan, Change, 10K race, blood pressure, book writing, coffee, water, Volunteer,
Read a Book

Now for something completely fresh

Earlier I wrote a few lines of advice on how to set a goal and what it takes to get to achieving it. So now I will take a dose of my own medicine. I present you my goals for the first half of 2008:

1. Run in a 10K race
2. Lower BP without the need for medicine
3. Finish 2nd Draft of New Book by end of March
4. Drink less coffee (I know it's blasphemy but I gotta do what I gotta do)
5. Drink more H20
   

This is a simple set of goals, think about it though. Doing all of this will create some collateral benefits such as weight loss, increased stamina, focus, and an overall sense of well being. In any situation have increased stamina, focus, and an overall sense of well being helps create a great counter to stressors. Anything that helps reduce stress makes you a much better person.

On that note, I leave you with my first 5 goals for the first part of 2008. What are your goals?

Tags: Dave Guerra, Plan, Change, Goals

It's 2008 & a new opportunity for something fresh

By now, January 2, you have probably been inundated with talk about the new year being an opportunity for change. Change your image, change your appearance, change your attitude, change you.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This time of the year we all tend to fall into that trap (those hot, tight, ripped bods are all over our television screens) because we see something that appeals to us and we want a piece of that action. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look like them, however there is a point where reality sets in.

What does that last sentence mean? It means that if you don't already look like those hot bods, then rest assured that after one workout you won't as well. So no matter what you are wanting to do whether its getting a raise, start your own company, get published, or lose a few pounds from all that holiday partying, you are going to have to take a common sense approach. So here are few things to keep in mind.

1. Know what you want to accomplish
2. Set a realistic goals
3. Develop a plan to meet your goals
   
4. Collect your resources
5. Refine your plan
6. Solicit support from others
7. Refine your plan
8. Put your plan into Action
9. Make adjustments to you plan

See a trend in this list...it is important to keep your plan fluid, dynamic, always changing. This is the dose of reality that I mentioned. Say for instance, in my case I like to jog in the mornings. However, I do not run in the rain nor do I run when temp is below 45F so on those days I have alternate, I don't like doing it but it does keep the body moving. So if you goal is to start a new business but you don't have the revenue to open a storefront, this should not derail your plan but build into a plan a way to generate that revenue.

So take some time today and get the ball rolling, just remember that it may take sometime to get to full speed. Just remember it will take some time, remember the farmer can't grow a crop of wheat overnight, he has to be patient and keep at it until the wheat is ready to be cut.


Dave Guerra, Happy New Year, Plan, change