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You start a project. Conceptualization and planning are solid. The detailed plan outlines the tasks and lists the proper sequence based on dependencies. The business value is captured, executive sponsorship is in place, and budget has been obtained.

The initial stages are all rainbows (pretty) and unicorns (fantasy), as everyone builds the vision, mission, charter, and progresses team building (forming, storming, norming, and performing).

Somewhere along the way, you hit THE WALL. This is very similar to running very hard and crashing into a physical brick wall, that appears unexpectedly when you are running as hard and as fast as you can. You bounce off, and fall hard to the ground. Bruises, cuts, scrapes, even broken bones cause excruciating pain. You wonder if you’ll ever get up again.

THE WALL is the event that happens when you invested emotionally and spiritually, and committed yourself to a goal, and ran into an unexpected showstopper setback or a massive failure.

In most professions, you don’t really run into a physical wall, it just feels that way. You do experience psychological cuts, bruises, and broken bones, the pain you feel is very real.

Time to pick yourself up and go to plan B. Be in the moment. What can you do at this point in time and what is the next step you need to take? Set aside any thoughts of ridicule, demotion, job termination, and loss of incentives. If you have a boss who does not see the merits of what you are doing, and does not accept that you have been exemplary in your approach (you have, right?), then you have a bigger problem to deal with.

What did you miss to cause the crash? Probably nothing. You may have been misled by passive aggressive co-workers. Could you have done something different? Probably not. You can only use the skills you have until the need for a new one reveals itself. Were you blindsided by incompetent co-workers who promised by did not deliver? Of course! And you would not be the first one. To add insult to injury, your co-worker with poor communication skills blames you for not understanding them. Do not waste even a moment casting blame or aspersions on co-workers.

Those who ridicule co-workers who have hit the WALL, will have it coming to them, you don’t have to do a thing. Those who help co-workers who have hit the WALL, are the true mentors and leaders. Before you can help others, you need to know how to recover from a crash.

How does THE WALL arise? Who knows? A perfect storm? It happens. Time to show resilience. Look for butterfly effects. Don’t hide behind the chaos theory. These are tools for analysis, not excuses for non-performance.

The world needs people who can pick themselves up when they hit THE WALL. While you should do your best to avoid WALLs, you will run into a few. And when you least expect it, and when you are least prepared.

Preparation, planning, practice, and vigilance will soften the impact. That is where your time needs to be invested, not in avoiding THE WALL.