These 6 words will get you unstuck

These 6 words will get you unstuckThese 6 words will get you unstuckWhen was the belastung time something you did (or failed to do) created a serious problem for your business? When did you last choke, blow it or screw something up - personally? If youre good at what you do, it may have been a while, and it probably doesnt happen very often. On those rare occasions when it does, you no doubt take your lumps, do your best to make things right, and move on.Contrast that with the last time you had to deal with a problem elend of your own making. Im willing to bet it was this week. Perhaps even this morning. You may be dealing with it this minute. The more responsibility you have in the organization, the more the buck stops at your desk. Fixing whats broken is your job. The question is whether (and to what extent) its your burden.As a seasoned professional I, like you, dont screw up all that often. But gnarly problems still find their way to my desk with some frequency. In fact, one way of looking at business is as an endless sequence of dragons to be slain. Understood in that light, the battle can be invigorating. But its something with which we all must come to grips.When my company had its near-death experience many years ago, one of the reasons it took us so long to recover was the discouragement I felt as The One Responsible. As president of the firm, I naturally thought that our problems were of my making, and morning after morning the bleary eyes staring back at me in the mirror provided no solutions.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.It wasnt until we had done our first wave of research among other formerly fast-growing companies that I learned that nearly one in five were facing circumstances like ours. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, it wasnt about me. Oh, it was still my problem. But it wasnt my fault.Not my fault. Is my problem.That realiz ation - that demarcation - has paid dividends for many years now as Ive learned to distinguish between the burden I should rightly bear when I make a mistake and the blessing I find in solving problems created by circumstances beyond my control. I learned how difficult it is to be creative when youre discouraged (and nearly impossible when youre depressed). If the problem Im facing is of my own making, of course, I feel bad about it, as I should (for a time). If its not, however, I no longer do.This way of thinking works at both the micro and macro level. When day-to-day issues cross your desk, you have no choice but to take them on. Sometimes you can handle them in stride in other cases, they wreck your day or even your week. The farther up the corporate chain you rise, the more intractable the issues you face become. Tiny dragons get slain down the line. You get the fire-breathers.But its also true at a broader level. Companies, and even industries, experience cycles of growth, maturation, and decline.In our most recent wave of research, completed earlier this year, we found that 31% of respondent companies growth was accelerating, 39% were in a healthy phase of maturation, and 29% were facing the pressures of saturation and commoditization. When nearly a third of the economy is struggling even when conditions are relatively healthy, its a fair bet every companys turn in the tank is coming. When its your time, its probably not your fault. Its merely your problem.Allow me to offer three simple steps which, if you can make them a mental habit, will help you overcome the self-blame game recognize, categorize and strategize.The one in the middle is the key when you recognize an unfortunate issue that needs to be dealt with, pause for a moment and honestly categorize whether its your fault or merely your problem. If its the latter (and it usually is), you can dispense with all the negative energy and focus your creativity on strategizing solutions. Youll be mor e inventive, more productive, and more likely to succeed. Youll sleep a lot better at night, too.Not everybody is inclined to guilt and self-loathing, and shame does play a valuable role in regulating human behavior. But misplaced culpability is destructive to business, to relationships, and to your own mental health. Dragons are difficult enough to slay the last thing you need is to feed them.Steve McKee is the president of McKee Wallwork + Co., an advertising agency that specializes in working with stalled, stuck and stale brands. The company was recognized by Advertising Age as 2015 Southwest Small Agency of the Year. McKee is also the author of When Growth Stalls and Power Branding.This article originally appeared on SmartBrief.