When working toward your business goals, it’s not “if” you will face challenges but “when” you will and “what” challenges you will face. There is no straight and easy path toward business success. However, the obstacles to growth that pop up don’t need to be the end of the road. Asking yourself the following questions when you’re faced with a challenge can help you overcome the obstacle and continue moving forward.
1. What obstacle are we facing?
Even though it seems like it would be easy to identify the issue when you’re facing an obstacle to growth, that’s not always the case. It’s easy to focus so hard on the symptom of the obstacle that we end up working on a band-aid fix instead of addressing the real problem.
If you’re struggling, take time to analyze the situation to pinpoint the real obstacle you’re up against. Get clear on the details of it.
- What is the challenge?
- When did it begin? Is it new or old?
- What contributed to it happening?
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2. Have we faced something similar in the past, and what did we do about it?
Once you’re clear on the obstacle to growth holding you back, you can get to work overcoming it. Remember, you don’t always need to recreate the wheel. Instead, think about what similar challenges you’ve faced in the past and how you’ve overcome them.
If you aren’t able to identify any similar challenges that you’ve faced, look to the advice of others who are ahead of you on the journey. There’s no reason to continue butting your head against the wall when you could seek the advice of a mentor or business coach who knows how to move past the obstacle you’re facing.
Remember, this may require you to think a little outside of the box. For example, maybe you haven’t faced an obstacle exactly like the one you’re facing today, but you may be able to pull helpful lessons learned from related experiences in the past.
3. What resources do we need to overcome this obstacle?
Now that you have a plan to overcome your growth obstacle, it’s time to determine what resources need to be allocated to overcome it. This could include:
- Financial resources – You may need to reallocate part of the budget to overcome this obstacle or obtain additional capital to continue growing
- Human resources – This could include shifting your current team, adding to it, or hiring a contractor
- Knowledge and information – If you’re lacking the necessary information to move forward, consider how you can obtain this information
- Training and development – Is there additional training that could help you and your team overcome your challenges
4. How will addressing this obstacle align with our overall business goals and objectives?
When you face an obstacle on your way to growing your business, it’s important to look at how it impacts your business mission and goals. Sometimes we face obstacles because we’re pursuing the wrong avenues toward growth. Other times, the obstacles are merely bumps in the road to get where we’re trying to go.
As you make your plan to overcome the obstacle to growth, ensure the work you’re doing continues to align with the organization’s overall goals and objectives.
Working with a Spearity business coach to overcome your obstacles
If you’re up against obstacles and you just don’t know how to overcome them, know that you don’t have to face them on your own. Our Spearity business coaches work with business owners and leaders to help them identify and overcome the obstacles to achieving their goals as they grow and scale.
If you’re tired of feeling stuck and ready to continue moving forward, contact Spearity today to explore our business coaching options.
