“When you have exhausted all the possibilities, remember this – you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison

I had a conversation with a leadership team recently that was really frustrated.  They felt like their organization was stuck.  It wasn’t that things were going poorly, but they weren’t really improving either.  It seemed to all of them that things were stagnant, that they just kept doing the same things the same way over and over again, and they couldn’t figure out how to break out of it.

There are a lot of organizations that are in a similar position.  Everything seems difficult.  It feels like we’re trying to solve problems in the year 2026 with solutions we came up with in 2008.  It’s a frustrating and exhausting place to be.

I’ve seen organizations respond to that feeling in one of two ways.  One group just throws up their hands and says, “Well, I guess there’s nothing else we can do”.  They don’t think there’s any way to change so they just don’t really try.  They keep doing what they’re doing and being frustrated and counting down the minutes until they can retire.

The other group refuses to give in.  They say, “There must be something we can do” and they don’t stop looking and working until they find it.  Even if “it” is really uncomfortable, or awkward, or difficult, or something that you all agreed you wouldn’t do 20 years ago.  They’re willing to reinvent themselves and the organization if that’s what it takes to move forward.

Which group are you in?  When you think about the way you lead, have you just thrown in the towel?  Life is hard, the world is crazy, I’m just going to do what I’m comfortable with for the next few years until I can retire, etc.  It’s unfortunate, but there are a lot of people in that camp.

Don’t give in to that mindset.  For starters, if you do, then you’re no longer a leader, and you owe it to the team and the organization to quit your job and do something else.  If you’re a leader who’s given up then you’re just stealing your salary.

Beyond that, the reality is that there is always something else you can do.  You’re never really stuck unless you choose to be.  There are always options, and there are always doors that open.  You can choose to say no to those options, but that’s different than not having any.

Be the leader you’re supposed to be.  Keep pushing, keep looking for new ideas, keep reinventing yourself and your business.  You can do it.  No quitting allowed.