Every January, there’s no shortage of articles about New Year’s resolutions. Why they tend to fail, and what you can do to keep yours going.

What fascinates me is the overlap between the dynamics discussed in those articles and the challenges people bring to me when they’re feeling stuck. In both cases, the desire for change is real. The path to successfully making it happen usually isn’t.

Where resolutions and attempts to get unstuck typically break down isn’t motivation. And it often isn’t effort. It’s honesty.

Behavioral science is clear. Change sticks when it’s designed around how people actually behave, not how they wish they did. That requires being honest about:

🔹 who you are

🔹 what you’re willing to do

🔹 what you can realistically sustain

This is why one of my first steps with new clients is the 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀™. It surfaces how someone is wired, where friction is likely to appear, and what kind of stuck they’re in. The plan that follows fits the person, not an idealized version of them.

Getting UnStuck isn’t about trying harder. It’s about designing change that works for who you actually are, and where you are right now.

If your goal this year is to get UnStuck, in your career or in how you lead, honest self-knowledge can save a lot of effort aimed in the wrong direction.