How to identify and overcome barriers to success

Anyone who has led a company, created a new product, or tried to enact change knows the reality of barriers to success: there are many, and leaders encounter them often. No project ever has completely smooth sailing. Instead of giving in to these barriers and giving up, great leaders know how to identify and overcome barriers to success.

Perhaps no one is more aware of this than Carlos Salaff and Pete Bitar, co-founders of Leo Flight. They’re on a mission to create a flying car by 2025—something many people think is impossible. However, by identifying barriers to success, Carlos and Pete can work through challenges and turn doubts into success.

Whether you’re trying to get a car off the ground or lead a successful team, you’re sure to face barriers. Here are five ways to identify and overcome those inevitable challenges.

• Practice self-awareness. Seeing challenges in a project is harder when you’re in the weeds and care about it deeply. Identifying barriers requires practicing self-awareness and taking an objective step back from the project. That means looking at processes and ideas through other people's eyes, not necessarily how you view them. Be humble enough to realize that there are likely roadblocks and challenges and that you aren’t immune to struggles.
• Evaluate progress. How do you measure success? Collecting and analyzing data can help pinpoint areas for improvement. For example, you may measure success by production levels when moving to a new manufacturing system. Analyzing production numbers in various stages can highlight where the process breaks down and can be improved. The same approach can apply to any type of project: You can measure a new product’s effectiveness through customer focus groups, inclusivity efforts through employee data, and the list goes on and on. Tracking your project's path to success can identify where it gets off track and how to get it back.
• Change your mindset. Once you’ve identified barriers to success, the most crucial step is not giving up. It can be disheartening to discover challenges in something you care about. Instead of seeing those barriers as permanent, look at them as opportunities to improve. Adopting a growth mindset makes you realize that challenges can be overcome. Expand your perspective by considering new points of view, brainstorming with your team, or pivoting your strategy.
• Identify areas for learning. Most challenges can be overcome by expanding your learning in new areas. If you face a barrier in a certain area, consider what you need to learn or who could help you better understand the roadblock. Additional learning can open your eyes to potential solutions and help you understand why something doesn’t work so you can find a way to make it work.
• Celebrate wins. Amid the challenges and struggles, don’t forget to celebrate things that go well. Every project has highs and lows, so try not to dwell too much on the negative that you forget the positive. Celebrating wins builds team morale and helps you remember the positive aspects of the project, which may lead to new ideas of how to overcome challenges.

Every project and company faces barriers to success, but those barriers don’t mean the project is a failure. By identifying and overcoming challenges, leaders can lead their teams to success and growth.