It’s possible that sometime you will find yourself volunteered to manage a business change initiative that cannot be accomplished. This is a scenario in which you have become a member of the walking dead. It is common knowledge that the initiative will not succeed. Beyond that, the people caught up in this scenario are usually the last to know. This is the reason it is critical, as a change agent, to have a true understanding of your situation.

These are things you can ask yourself to analyze the scenario. Do you have any support or credibility anywhere in your organization? If not, warning bells should be sounding in your head. If you have no support, it’s like being naked; no one takes you seriously. Would you consider it bad if someone else were allocated the resources you have been allocated? A lack of resources indicates an expectation of failure. Were you chosen because you’re strong or weak? Start watching your back if stronger candidates were given a pass for the job. There’s a good chance you’re a stooge or pawn. Are you looking at powerful opposition? When a reckoning takes place, will you be at the head of the line? If this seems familiar, you need to look long and hard at your situation. Not looking at your situation could mean finding yourself the sacrificial victim.

If the worst has happened and this is your situation, here are some strategies to try and salvage something. Pick fights you can win. Alter your expectations to fit the bad situation. You aren’t going to be able to achieve much. If you have any choices, pick the things that are most likely to yield a good outcome. Small successes are better than no successes. Take any support you can get from anywhere. If you can get someone with pull in the organization who might take pity on your situation, swallow your pride and accept their pity. You have to have support to survive. Try to find short-term change efforts. If you have a little luck and can get something that is both winnable and short-term, grab it with both hands.

Don’t stand still: re-negotiate! You absolutely have to get out of that unwinnable position. Assume that the worst is going to happen and get your back-up plan operational. Figure out what you will do if your ship goes down in flames. Be honest and demand the same from others. Stay calm, but don’t stop until you have a clear picture of what your situation really entails. Lay out all the reasons why the business change cannot happen. Make a counter-offer. Offer to move forward but only under circumstances that make the situation winnable. If none of that works, get out. The goal is to maintain dignity and credibility because this situation will follow you. You don’t want to walk away from without those two things intact.

You may be saddled with a business change initiative that makes you one of the walking dead. If you think that may be the case, get a true understanding of your situation and do it quickly. The faster you have a clear picture, the faster you can try to limit the personal damage you will take in the situation. Most importantly, do everything to keep your dignity and credibility intact.

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