Stuck in a Leadership Rut? Here’s How to Get Out

Even the greatest leaders can get stuck in the same tired, unproductive ways of doing things. This is normal, even expected, but no less unfortunate because of that. After all, transformative leadership requires executives to perform at their very best.

For inspiration, we can look to any number of examples — among them David Miscavige, leader of the Scientology religion, whose creative yet steady leadership has helped grow his organization into a global movement devoted to the betterment of people and communities.

Every leader is different, as is every organization, so it’s not quite as simple as mimicking the best aspects of Miscavige’s (and others’) leadership. However, those eager to leave their leadership “rut” behind” would do well to look back at recent examples of inspirational executives doing just that.

Here’s where to begin.

Recognize What You’re Up Against

“For a leader, safety is the refuge of the uninspired. Being in a rut, even a nice one, can prevent you from growing as a leader,” says Sarah Stall of Leadership Circle.

Stall, like others who’ve studied this phenomenon, knows that remaining in a leadership rut is easier than digging yourself out. Worse still, it’s often comfortable in there.

But dig out you must. The first step, then, is admitting you’re actually in a rut, understanding (through measurable metrics if possible) why it’s a problem, and making a plan to get out of it.

Recognize What Your Team May Be Up Against, Too

If you’re in a leadership rut, your team probably is as well. When you don’t perform at your best, they don’t perform at their best.

Unfortunately, the solution is not as simple as digging yourself out and hoping everyone else follows. You need to pull them out, or better yet, hand them all shovels and let them make their own way to the top.

In other words, you need to develop a wider plan to turn around your entire team or organization.

Delegate Readily, Starting With the Work You’re Not Very Good At

You don’t have to do it all. Truly, you don’t.

“We hoard and bottleneck [tasks] out of a variety of fears: the work won’t be done up to spec, it will take me longer to assign than quickly do myself, this is work no one wants to do, it will cost too much, what if this person can’t be trusted, and so on,” says Harvard Business Review’s Jenny Blake.

The irony is that very effective leaders often take on more than they should, precisely because they’re so efficient. This leads to the reasonable conclusion that because they can do the work faster than others, there’s no reason to delegate.

Of course, seasoned leaders know that “fast” is not the same as “better.” The reverse is more likely the case. 

A better approach is to follow another timeless leadership precept: trust but verify. Delegate freely while closely auditing your subordinates’ work, at least in the beginning. And speaking of the beginning, start with tasks you aren’t very good at or don’t especially enjoy.

Get Rid of the “Yes People” Around You

Once more than 37% of group members advocate for a particular solution, other members of the group are more likely to accept it, according to a University of California-Berkeley research team.

So, what happens when it’s not the optimal solution?

This is the not-so-hidden risk of groupthink. While difficult to avoid altogether, groupthink tends to be less of a problem when leaders surround themselves with independently minded advisors who aren’t afraid to disagree with them, even when it’s uncomfortable.

It might be uncomfortable, at first, to face questions from people who report to you. The upside is clear, however: a more effective decision-making process that leads to better outcomes.

Game Out Your One-Year Plan

Five years is the standard career plan length. Some experts recommend 10 years to better capture the key “phases” (junior, middle, peak, emeritus) of a typical 40-year business career.

However, from a tactical perspective, one year is the crucial interval. For one thing, after moving into a new role, this is a reasonable amount of time to amass a portfolio of “wins” that demonstrate your readiness to assume more responsibility. It also happens to coincide with most employers’ annual review cycles.

As you move into more senior leadership roles, one-year personal plans increasingly align with the annual cadence of business planning. You should maintain shorter and longer-range plans, just as your business does, but thinking in annual intervals is a helpful way to make sense of (and seize) the opportunities before you.

Find a Mentor (Or a Sounding Board)

No leader walks alone. This is literally true — it takes sizable teams to keep executive offices running — but also true in the deeper sense that no great leader can keep only their own counsel.

Whether you consider them a mentor you look up to, or a sounding board you look “across” to, it’s important to have a confidante you consider an equal. Preferably, more than one.

Your Team Is Looking to You. Help Them Take the Next Step.

Lest you forget, finding yourself in a leadership rut is not only a “personal” or “career” problem. It may be both, but as the leader of a team or entire organization, the challenges you face also affect those around you. Especially those beneath you in the org chart.

If this adds some urgency to your efforts to emerge from the rut, good. Great leaders understand that their teams look to them not only for direction and inspiration but for action. They lead by example, decisively and enthusiastically.

You may not be used to thinking about your role in quite these terms. Adjusting your leadership style may take time. However, it’s a worthy pursuit to do so, if only because your organization will emerge stronger and more capable on the other side.