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A persistently stuck person is a paper shredder on steroids.
They’ve “tried everything.” They’ve already scaled Mt. Doom on a three-legged donkey and it didn’t help. When you suggest something, they say with the confidence of a true loser, “That won’t work.”
Translation: “If it’s not perfect, I’m not interested. Pass the cookies.”
The Stagnant Person’s Survival Guide:
- Step 1: Turn past efforts into legends.
- Step 2: Torch new ideas.
- Step 3: Hold a parade celebrating hopelessness.
- Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 with vigor.
Stupid Thinking
You’re marinating your brain in expired mayonnaise when you think like stagnant people. Congratulations! You now own their confusion, frustration, and lack of progress.
You can’t help by agreeing with stupid thinking. It’s like throwing a rope to a monkey with no arms and yelling, “Grab the rope.”
Dreamers and Doers Get Delightfully Stuck
Dreamers live in the clouds: “How will I ever achieve my dream?” They need a series of next steps so they can finish something before the turn of the century.
Doers live in the weeds: “How will I ever get everything done?” They need a big picture. Remind them there’s more to life than preparing to do something meaningful. Arranging paper clips doesn’t move anything forward.
4 Strategies for Unstucking People
- Extreme Shock – Take them skydiving and shout the solution on the way down. They’ll either be too distracted to argue or too busy pulling the parachute cord.
- Use Pudding – Work “pudding” into every suggestion. “Yes, we can solve low morale by buying beanbags full of pudding!” Maybe they’ll get sane if you go crazy.
- Hostage Negotiation – Give them a walkie-talkie and negotiate their release from their own stubbornness.
- Play Stuck Person Bingo
Tip: Think otherwise when dealing with stuck people.
How can you help a persistently stagnant person move forward?
Solution Saturday: Three Types of People Who Always Get Stuck
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This post was previously published on LEADERSHIPFREAK.BLOG and is republished with Creative Commons license.
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