The Key to Engaging Stagnant Teams

A year ago, I went from having a mean doggy paddle to learning how to swim in fifteen weeks. Hip pain drove me to sign up for Swim Across America (SAA), and the excitement of my progress lead me to do the 3-mile open-water swim last September.

 

Once the challenge was complete, I was happy to be done with the training, and ready to simply enjoy swimming. I wanted to get better, but I didn’t want to go through any more discomfort in the pool.

 

Problem was: my shoulders hurt constantly, and I was struggling to breathe most of the time. Said simply, I wasn’t a very efficient swimmer.

 

Sound familiar?

 

“I want to get a promotion, new opportunities, to improve the quality of our products, but…”

 

Of course, there are many “buts,” regardless of an underlying desire to improve. So, how do you overcome stagnation on your team, and in your career?

 

Throughout the podcast, I share the top three strategies that work.

 

Here they are (though they’re better in context, so listen in!):

 

Identify your results. Get an outsider’s perspective.

 

Oh, here’s a bonus tip, offered by Brooke, my 11-year-old niece, in a previous post: Patience and persistence will get you to your results. Stay with it, even though it’s hard—doing so is scientifically proven to increase your self-esteem.

 

Where have you become stagnant in your career/life? What new results do you care enough about to push you out of your comfort zone and into the results you crave?

 

Here’s to Your Greatness,

 

Misti Burmeister