stall Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

23
Nov 20
-

Workplace Stall Is Often Where It Begins

Tags : delays outcomes roadblocks stall workplace

What does it take to keep moving? Does forward motion carry too much risk or is it really just a workplace stall?

There are always risks associated with action. There are also risks associated with inaction. Which one creates change?

The easy answer is, both.

A better question is, which one costs more?

Delay or Stall?

Waiting on the proper weather pattern before launching the SpaceX rocket isn’t really a stall. It is a necessary action in order to create success.

The same is true for a cake baking in the oven, a watermelon growing in the field, or the traffic light that is glowing red. Likely, none of these represent a stall.

Stalling is more of a form of procrastination.

Maybe it would be better to wait until tomorrow.

Next week I start my diet.

There is still a lot of time to finish the project.

Are you guilty of the workplace stall?

Workplace Stall

Workplace stalling is more than a waste of precious time. It often allows other inferior work to continue to occur in the meantime. In many cases, the opportunity window may close.

Managers often stall when faced with employees needing performance improvement guidance. They stall because of the fear of conflict or because they are unsure of future outcomes.

Advertising teams often stall because they claim that they want to get the creative right. Someone needs to write copy, direct the photo shoot, or double check with the client.

People stall with continuing education, they stall with committing to a new car purchase, or they just can’t seem to find the time to schedule the dentist appointment.

Sometimes the invented roadblocks that create the stall are really about to cause something to begin.

It may be the beginning of the end.

There is a cost of both action and inaction.

Stalling often costs more.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
Nov 20
-

Workplace Wait and the Consequences that Follow

Tags : consequences stall trust wait workplace

Have you experienced workplace wait? It’s when someone or everyone wants to follow a plan but they are waiting for something else to happen first.

We’re going to improve sales, as soon as we get a new sales manager.

Our quality is off, but next year we’re getting some new equipment.

We need to fix this, but let’s wait until the meeting next week to discuss how.

It happens all the time. You often forget that the period of wait has a price. And like it or not, the organization, the employees, and the customers are paying.

When the organization pays, everyone loses.

Perhaps in some cases, the cost is pushed to the customer. When the customer pays and the value is not recognized, eventually, the organization loses.

Enough pressure on the organization and the employees lose.

What are you waiting for?

Workplace Wait

Opportunity cost matters, everyone gets it. There are also costs associated with trust and value for the customer.

Are there team trust issues?

Join our team, next year you’ll get a promotion.

As soon as we close two more deals, we’re going to buy everyone a new laptop to improve productivity.

We know the shipping department is in shambles but there is nothing we can do until sales improve.

The wait is sometimes really just a stall. It puts a blanket over the problem, covers things up, and creates a future based largely on hope.

Hope often has a timeline. Left unchecked and the people begin to lose trust.

What are your plans?

Future Plans

Planning for the future matters. Forecasting future revenue, customers, and growth help build energy and excitement.

The future comes fast. There are expectations. Missed goals or shifting timelines can delay the forecast.

Sometimes people begin to feel like they’re waiting for nothing. It is a balancing act. A tight rope. Navigation is tricky. Trust and belief wane.

What is the cost of now?

The cost of now is sometimes less expensive than the cost waiting.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

11
Sep 19
-

Stalled Career And What Will Cause Movement

Tags : career logic risk stall stuck

Career, work-life balance, and the daily grind, are things feeling a bit stalled or stuck? It may seem easy to self-assess and tell yourself, “I’m not sure about my options.” The feeling of a stalled career is common, mostly because people apply simple logic.

The logical examination considers all of the valuable reasons you are where you are. It considers the ease of the norm, the status quo, and perhaps the safety of no risk.

Feeling Logical

The norm feels comfortable. You know the routine. You’ve grown to appreciate and quietly value the repetitive nature of things being just the way things are. Mostly, you know what to expect, and often, when to expect it. That’s normal.

The status quo shields you from change. It is based on your expectations. Expectations of a secure job position, an annual salary increase, and accrued vacation pay. Work life exists during mostly fixed hours, and you are comfortable steering around long weekends, vacations, and holidays.

Your mind will convince you that this is logical, it makes sense. You can’t do this, or do that, because of the risk connected with a decision.

Sometimes you feel forced to make a move, or sometimes unfortunately your services are no longer needed and a new direction is required.

Regardless of the circumstances people still often feel stuck. Stuck because any other move has already been evaluated and the only choice is to stay right where you are.

The suggestion sometimes is that people will only change when they get miserable enough to make a move. Do you really want to be that miserable?

Stalled Career

I often ask people, “What are you going to give up?”

When our days and our time is completely filled, we have to give up something in order to do something new. Logically, this doesn’t always resonate, mostly because if you are truly stuck it is often hard to see what you can give up.

If you are going to get things moving again. If you’re going to get out of your career stall, you’re going to have consider doing something different.

Different is scary, not always the most logical, or it may seem unreasonable.

In many cases it is not a matter of different knowledge, it is a matter of old knowledge applied differently.

No movement guarantees one thing, you’re stalled.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

24
Jul 19
-

Career Stall: Feeling Stuck and Letting Go

Tags : career change risk stall stuck

Have you reached a career stall? Have you found yourself wondering why, how, or where to advance?

Choices and decisions we make often become a habitual part of our life. This is what keeps us stuck, stalled, or stopped.

While there are potentially hundreds of variations or reasons why someone may feel stuck, the good news is there is something that can be done to get unstuck.

Uncertainty is Scary

Uncertainty may be a leading cause of being stuck. Feeling unsure about the future keeps people in their comfort zone.

The comfort zone is the norm. In a groove, even a mediocre groove, often feels better than the potential doom looming outside of the groove.

Outside the groove can be scary. Some may quickly say that fear keeps people stuck. Probably true, it can and it does.

Good Sized Ego

There are other things that keep people stuck.

One is ego.

Ego is not necessarily a bad thing. Another way to describe ego is confidence. Feeling confident and accomplished, some people allow their ego to keep them from seeking professional help.

Ego has halted many careers, one way or another, and it is sometimes connected with costs.

I shouldn’t have to pay for help. I’m a problem solver.

Weighing Costs

Perhaps you can navigate your situation to become unstuck, after all, you are plenty smart enough.

Is there a cost associated with not paying for help?

Keep in mind that cost isn’t always what you pay, sometimes cost is about time lost, missed opportunities, or mistakes.

How long will you stay stalled, stuck, or stopped?

Career Stall

When you have a full plate, a full day, and the clock is ticking, you have to make room for something different in order to create change. Otherwise, you are in a perpetual state of being stuck.

You may need to let go of your ego, habits that are tactical instead of strategic, or change your view on risk.

What is riskier? Staying where you are at for the next three to five years of your career or trying something different? Sometimes we weigh risk incorrectly. We weigh it for safety instead of opportunity.

What will you let go of?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Tag Archives: stall

Nov 20

-

Workplace Stall Is Often Where It Begins

Delay or Stall?

Workplace Stall

Nov 20

-

Workplace Wait and the Consequences that Follow

Workplace Wait

Future Plans

Sep 19

-

Stalled Career And What Will Cause Movement

Feeling Logical

Stalled Career

Jul 19

-

Career Stall: Feeling Stuck and Letting Go

Uncertainty is Scary

Good Sized Ego

Weighing Costs

Career Stall

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