In the fourth film in the Rocky franchise, the Italian Stallion faces the Russian behemoth, Ivan Drago. In his corner between rounds, Rocky groans, “He’s winning…I see three of him out there.” Brother-in-law Paulie offers some encouraging advice: “Hit the one in the middle!” “That’s right,” echoes cornerman Duke, “hit the one in the middle!” Rocky listens, and comes out swinging. (Spoiler alert: he wins.) Too often, people and teams feel overwhelmed by complex challenges or projects with a lot of moving parts. But getting started — focusing on one thing at a time and taking a swing at that — can overcome that inertia and get you closer to a solution. What problem might be paralyzing your people today? What’s one thing they could do to get some forward motion?
