There are times when you can find yourself appointed to manage a business change initiative that cannot be accomplished. This is a scenario when you are among the walking dead. Everyone knows that the task is impossible. Moreover, the people in this situation are usually the last to know. This is why it is imperative, as a change agent, to comprehend the exact nature 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 you don’t, you’re probably in trouble already. Those without support will have a lot of trouble creating change. Are the resources you’ve given a joke? If you have minimal resources, you were probably set up. Were you chosen because people generally perceive you to be weak? If you were chosen over stronger candidates, be careful. You’re likely a pawn for someone else’s agenda. Are you looking at powerful opposition? When the knives come out, will you be on the alter? If this seems familiar, you need to look long and hard at your situation. Avoiding that cold, hard look at your circumstances could very well mean volunteering yourself to be at the head of the line when the reckoning comes.

If you find yourself confronting this scenario, there are some things you can do to limit your personal damage. Pick fights you can win. Lower your expectations. You aren’t going to be able to achieve much. Try to pick things that are winnable. Small successes are better than no successes. Find yourself some support. If you can find a program manager, an executive, a middle manager with someone’s ear, get them on your side. Your survival depends on your ability to generate some kind of support. Look for initiatives with a short duration. Winnable and short initiatives are the best bet: look for them.

Start re-negotiating your situation. You have to do everything in your power to get away from that no-win scenario. Expect catastrophe and get a back-up plan into place. You have to be self-interested and know your course if things go bad. Be honest and demand the same from others. Keep your head, but find out exactly where you stand. Explicate the things that will keep this business change from happening. Embrace the time honored tradition of the counter-offer. Agree to take the project forward but not as things stand. If all else fails, bow out gracefully. 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.

There is the possibility of being involved with a business change where you are in the walking dead situation. If you have concluded that you may be in this scenario, do a cold, hard analysis of where you stand. The sooner you know, the sooner you can begin the process of re-negotiating, counter-offers, or bowing out. Most importantly, do everything to keep your dignity and credibility intact.