The Stick Thesis: Find the Core Blockage to Change Habits

You get the biggest payoff when you stop trying to clear every leaf and branch and focus on the one piece that holds the whole dam together. Lopp describes how, after years of shoveling clogged mountain creeks, he learned to attack blockages from the dry side and pull the single stick that's bearing most of the load. The moment that stick gives way, water rushes through and the problem disappears.

He maps that physical act onto personal habits and leadership goals. Instead of scattering effort across many vague resolutions, find the core blockage-whether it's a missing motivation, a hidden fear, or a single inefficient process. Yank that stick and you get a clear feedback loop: immediate results that reinforce the behavior and make the larger change tractable.

The piece argues that leaders should train themselves to spot that "stick" in any challenge, from team performance issues to personal development. By focusing on the decisive lever, you avoid wasted toil and create satisfying, measurable progress that fuels further improvement.