How to Get Unstuck: Five Habits to Drop in 2026
You need a better system, not just new goals
Every January, teams tell themselves the same lie: This year will be different.
They make plans. They set goals. They say that things will finally change. But soon, they’re back where they started—trying hard but getting nowhere.
The problem isn’t your goals. It’s your habits.
You can’t get new results by doing the same old things. If you want different outcomes, you need to change your daily habits—the small things that either move your team forward or keep it stuck.
Here’s the good news: You don’t need to change everything at once. Start with these five habits, one at a time.
1. Stop Apologizing, Start Thanking
Apologizing has become a reflex in most teams. Late to a meeting? “Sorry.” You remind someone about a deadline? “Sorry.” Making someone wait? Another “Sorry.”
We do it without thinking. It seems polite. But here’s what’s really happening.
Saying “sorry” doesn’t fix the problem. Arriving 10 minutes late to a meeting isn’t minor; it decreases productivity by 33%. People stop, bring you back to speed, and restart. Your apology creates extra work for others. It puts the focus on you and your feelings, not on the people you affected. You’re asking them to make you feel better about your discomfort.
Your “sorry” becomes their emotional labor.
How to stop apologizing and start thanking
Flip apologies into thank yous:
When you mess up, recognize the people who helped. Don’t focus on how you feel. Focus on what they did.
Try this:
● Instead of “I’m sorry I’m late,” say: “Thanks for catching me up.”
● Instead of “Sorry, I missed the deadline,” say: “Thanks for the reminder.”
● Instead of “Sorry to bother you,” say: “Thanks for your time.”
This shift values what colleagues do for you. It’s about their effort, not your guilt.
Take responsibility—then fix it:
Real accountability is about changing behavior, not just saying you’re sorry.
If you’re late, ask what you missed and how you can help now. If someone covered for you, ask how you can support them the next time. Return the favor.
Actions speak louder than apologies. Show people you respect their time. Better yet, don’t be late in the first place.
Reserve apologies for serious situations:
Not every infraction requires an apology. Save “I’m sorry” for when you’ve truly hurt someone or broken their trust.
When you do apologize, be specific. Instead of “Sorry about that,” try: “I’m sorry I dismissed your idea without proper consideration. That wasn’t fair.”
Being specific means owning your mistakes, not seeking a blanket pardon.
Build a culture of gratitude:
Teams that practice gratitude work better together. Research shows that expressing appreciation strengthens work relationships and boosts collaboration.
When teams lead with gratitude instead of apology, everything changes. People feel valued for their contributions, not burdened by someone else’s guilt.
2. Replace Limiting Beliefs with Liberating Ones
Most teams run on autopilot. They never question their beliefs. They make decisions guided by assumptions that no one questions or even notices.
These beliefs feel like facts. But they’re not. They’re thinking habits that shape everyday behavior.
This is a common problem in many organizations. They don’t fail overnight; they fail slowly. The process is often invisible. Small compromises become patterns. Unchallenged assumptions become the norm. A defeatist mentality becomes a limiting belief that accelerates the company’s decline. By the time you notice, the damage is done.
How to replace limiting beliefs with liberating ones
Understand the difference:
Limiting beliefs hold you back. Liberating beliefs open up possibilities. The first make you work for them; the latter work for you.
Nir Eyal explores this in his new book, Beyond Belief (highly recommended). His insight: changing beliefs changes behavior. However, this isn’t just about “thinking positive.” That’s not enough. Beliefs aren’t just wishes. They’re mental models built through experience, evidence, and deliberate effort. According to the author, they require three elements:
Attention: The ability to SEE what you believe
Anticipation: The power to FEEL what you believe
Agency: The power to DO what you believe
Test your beliefs:
Not all beliefs are equal. Eyal says a good belief:
Holds up to real-world feedback
Can evolve when new information comes in
Doesn’t require ignoring facts
Ask yourself: Is this belief based on evidence or assumption? Does it help us move forward or keep us stuck? Can I find examples that prove it wrong?
If your belief can’t survive scrutiny, it’s definitely limiting you.
Stop rehashing negative beliefs
Ruminating—dwelling on sad experiences or negative beliefs—only makes them stronger. It’s a vicious cycle. Eyal suggests three ways to stop ruminating:
Prove yourself wrong: Deliberately seek evidence that challenges your limiting beliefs. Keep a diary of moments that contradict your narrative. If you believe “my team never takes initiative,” write down every time someone does.
Create distance: Talk about yourself in the third person. “Why does Gustavo believe this?” Self-distancing sounds ridiculous, but it creates cognitive space. You view your reality from a wiser perspective.
Question your motives: Is this belief serving me, or am I stuck serving the belief? Is it making me better or worse? Thinking about the belief behind the belief builds self-awareness—key to fighting rumination.
Reframe limiting beliefs into liberating ones:
Try my Cultural Tensions Canvas to capture limiting mindsets, emotions, and behaviors, then reframe them into liberating ones:
“Employees are lazy” → “Employees thrive in flexible workplaces with clear expectations”
“Conflict is destructive” → “Healthy conflict leads to better decisions”
“We can’t afford to fail” → “Quick failures help us learn faster”
“People don’t speak up because they don’t care” → “People stop speaking up when nothing changes”
3. Turn Asking for Help into a Strength
You’re stuck on a problem. Instead of asking your colleagues for help, you keep trying to solve it yourself. You think you should know the answer. You worry that asking for help will make you look weak.
So you struggle in silence while everyone watches. They don’t offer help because they assume you don’t need it—or don’t want it.
In most workplaces, people reward know-it-alls. Research shows that most leaders rate themselves as better than average. Asking for help feels like admitting weakness or failure. This overconfidence stops people from getting advice that could improve outcomes.
How to make asking for help a strength
Make it normal:
At design firm IDEO, asking for help isn’t just okay; it’s expected. When designers get stuck, they call a quick “huddle” and brainstorm with their colleagues to find a solution together. Everyone contributes because they know others will help them, too.
In their survey, 89% of employees were named as top helpers by their coworkers. No one feels bad about asking for help because “making others successful” is a core company value.
Reward people for being team players, not just great performers. Recognize the invisible work that helpers do—mentoring others, sharing knowledge, and helping colleagues succeed.
Make it okay to say “I don’t know”:
The smartest people in the room are the ones who admit what they don’t know. Saying “I don’t know” isn’t weakness—it’s actually wisdom.
Make it okay for people to say “I don’t know” without judgment. When leaders do this, they show that learning is powerful, not shameful.
Be specific:
Vague requests get vague responses. Before asking for help, define what you actually need:
Do you need pros and cons to make a choice?
Do you need someone to challenge your thinking?
Do you need help defining the real problem?
Do you need a colleague to brainstorm with?
The more specific your request, the better the help you’ll get.
Praise people who ask:
If you’re a leader, make asking for help cool. When someone asks for input, thank them publicly. Celebrate the questions, not just the answers. When your team sees that intellectual humility is rewarded, more people will do it.
4. Do Fewer Things Better
Your calendar is packed. Your to-do list is endless. You’re always busy, yet at the end of the week, you can’t remember accomplishing anything meaningful.
You’re not alone. McKinsey research found that only 52% of leaders spend their time on things aligned with strategic priorities. Almost half admitted they don’t focus on important work. This isn’t just a productivity problem—it’s a prioritization problem.
Most teams think being busy means making progress. They confuse activity with results—but the more they add, the less they accomplish. Every new project dilutes focus. Every added “priority” weakens impact.
This isn’t a capacity problem. It’s a subtraction problem. Teams stay stuck because they keep adding without removing anything.
How to do fewer things better
Let one word guide your 2026:
Author Daniel Pink suggests choosing one simple word to remind you what matters most in 2026.
Pink’s word is “shipping.” He wants to create and finish more work on the screen, on the page, and on the stage.
Your word should be equally concrete. Not “balance” or “wellness,” but something that filters decisions. “Focus.” “Impact.” “Diversify.” “Grow.”
Pick a word that’s clear enough to help you stay focused. When someone proposes a new initiative, ask: “Does this help us [your word]?” If not, it’s likely a distraction.
Set capacity limits:
Just like a restaurant kitchen can only serve so many customers, teams can only do so much. Start by defining how you measure capacity—by projects, features, or sprints.
When you’re at your limit, either pause until you finish current projects or deprioritize existing projects to make room for new ones. Don’t just keep adding. Subtract something before you add something new.
Delete, don’t just delegate:
Most leaders love to delegate, but few have the courage to delete. Review your team’s commitments and ask: “What can we stop doing entirely?”
Don’t just hand it to someone else. Delete it.
Review capacity quarterly:
Schedule regular commitment reviews. Assess what’s on your team’s plate and whether it aligns with your most important goals.
Ask:
Do we have bandwidth for new projects?
Which low-value tasks can we automate, hand off, or delete?
What’s preventing us from taking on more?
5. Eliminate Anonymous Feedback
Anonymous surveys are the default method for getting “honest” feedback. Companies launch surveys, emphasize they’re anonymous, and expect to learn what’s really going on.
It seems safe, but it’s not. This habit tells employees that the culture isn’t safe enough to speak up openly. Worse, it removes the one thing that makes feedback work: ownership. When people hide behind anonymity, feedback quickly becomes harsh or mean. It’s easy to complain when you don’t have skin in the game.
Anonymous feedback promises honesty. Instead, it promotes venting without accountability. Open feedback does the opposite: It asks people to take ownership and be part of the solution. To build a culture of ownership, you need openness.
How to eliminate anonymous feedback
Promote honesty, not venting:
To stop weaponizing feedback, we need to give people agency. They must become part of the solution rather than just pointing out problems.
Encourage people to spot issues and propose solutions. Ask: “What’s the problem, and what do you suggest we do about it?”
This shifts the conversation from venting to problem-solving.
Make feedback a regular habit:
Fix minor issues early, before they compound into conversational debt. It’s easier to tackle problems when they’re small than to wait until everyone gets frustrated.
Normalize regular feedback. Don’t wait for quarterly surveys. Make it part of your routine.
Ask for feedback proactively:
Don’t wait for people to come to you. Model asking for feedback: “What’s one thing I could do better to help you?” “What’s working well? What’s not?”
When leaders ask for feedback, they make it an expectation. It shows that openness works both ways.
Keep anonymity only for sensitive matters:
Anonymity still has a place. Sensitive issues like harassment, discrimination, or whistleblowing require protection.
Everything else works better with open conversation. If someone can’t put their name on feedback, ask why. Usually, it’s because the culture isn’t open enough.
Tired of feeling stuck? Pre-order my new book Forward Talk or schedule a call to discuss how I can help your team.
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Loved this piece, Gustavo. I really appreciated how you explored replacing limiting beliefs with liberating ones and the practical approach to testing beliefs. It’s a perspective that feels both actionable and insightful.