MOMENTUM

Jun

2023

Momentum: The Leader’s Job

I recently returned from El Salvador with my youngest son on a trip to an orphanage that I take each son on when they turn twelve. I remember with my oldest son on one particular day it rained really hard and one of the trucks at the facility got stuck in the mud. They tried to get it out, but ended up digging the wheels deeper.

All the males on the trip gathered around the back of the truck and helped push and push. Slowly as mud flew and covered all of us, we got a little traction . . . then it stopped. We started again and after multiple attempts we got a little movement, traction, and the truck was off.

Isn’t this how momentum with anything we lead works? The struggle is a slog at first, and getting traction is extremely difficult. Just as getting the truck out of the mud would not have even started without someone stepping up to initiate, the same is true with creating initiative with what you lead.

Momentum Starts with the Leader

“Momentum begins within the individual leader. It starts with vision, passion, and enthusiasm.”

John C. Maxwell

No one was going to get the truck out of the mud unless someone initiated. Let’s unpack this idea John suggests by diving deeper into the three areas he says a leader needs to create momentum.

Vision

“Without vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

You may not be a fan of the Bible and that is ok, but I think we can agree this statement is true. We have all experienced being a part of something without a clear vision or purpose and at some point asking: “do I want to be a part of this?”

Vision is what starts the traction. The car stuck in the mud sees they are just a few feet from the road where they can get traction and go to their ultimate destination. This is vision. The leader must establish the vision or vision confusion will arise as the strong influencers promote their vision. Multiple visions hinder momentum. Just as a rock can’t be pushed uphill from three different directions nor can your vision gain traction unless the leader clearly states it.

Passion

I have a firepit in my backyard. Most of the time I don’t cheat and put one of those quick firestarting bricks in. I pile paper, small twigs, slightly bigger sticks, and then a couple of logs. The fire starts with a small spark, but if I do not provide oxygen and attention, it dies in smoldering smoke.

Consistent . . . steady . . . fuel.

This is passion. Leaders carry the vision and, therefore will be the most enthusiastic about the vision. To keep momentum going as a leader, you must inspire passion in others. Tell the stories of success. Help people see how in small or big ways you are accomplishing the vision.

But be careful. Just as too much fuel on the fire can burn you, similarly, too much passion at the wrong time can actually suffocate your team. Be passionate but be aware that few, if any will be as passionate about the vision as you.

Enthusiasm

The Oxford dictionary defines enthusiasm as:

“intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.”

John Maxwell highlighted this as the third aspect of momentum inside the leader. If the vision you are pursuing comes across as a grind then it will be even more of a grind for those you lead. Anything worthwhile is going to be difficult, but to create and sustain momentum, the leader must find enjoyment in that uphill climb.

Michael Jordan is one of the best, if not the best, basketball players of all time. What made him that? He was fiercely competitive and found enjoyment in the work required to be the best. He had a vision to win championships but knew it would not be easy. He played in critical games while sick and exhausted because of his enthusiasm for the game and fierce drive to win.

Leader, if you are not enthusiastic, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself what will bring back your enthusiasm for what you are pursuing. If you can’t find that answer, maybe you need to either get a new vision or find someone on your team who can be that champion for you to keep the momentum going.

Leadership is not easy, and the hardest person to lead is ourselves. As you look at these three areas, which one do you need to focus on in the next week? Take a minute, reflect, and let me know how you will create momentum with your team. Need help thinking into your leadership in this area? Contact me for a no cost to you powerful coaching experience. In the meantime, keep climbing your hill and lead well!

Jun

2023

Momentum: The Deceiver

They were behind the car pushing, and once it got going, others jumped in, and instead of straining and struggling, some just had a hand on, barely contributing. That is the power of momentum. . . . and also the deception.

As leaders, we may think things are going well and leading very effectively, but the reality is we may be benefitting from the deception of momentum.

In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership*, leadership expert John C. Maxwell describes the law of momentum as a leader’s best friend. He highlights seven truths about it, and in this post, I will highlight how three of these truths demonstrate momentum can be deceptive.

Momentum Exaggerates

I have had the opportunity to be around many sports teams. Players don’t notice their minor injuries when a team succeeds and think they are indestructible. When momentum is not going their way, and they are losing, those minor injuries blow up into being out for weeks.

We think we are conquering the world when sales are high and cash flow is good. Use that momentum to keep people working at a pace that will continue those results. Beware of the deception, though; when we have momentum, if we lose sight of doing the work that got us there “suddenly” the momentum may stop. If we stop taking steps as we push the car . . . the car stops moving.

Momentum Makes Leaders Look Better

You can spot this one easily if you have been around sports. The coach with talented players they inherited from a previous coach who created a great culture may still have success in year one because of the momentum of the prior coach. Year two may drop a little if they lose key players. By year three, that coach’s culture has become more ingrained, and if the coach keeps the momentum going, they look good; if not, people see how effective a leader the coach is.

When you are a new leader, beware of the deception of a previous leader’s success. Are your initiatives gaining traction, or have you been riding the previous leader’s success? When the momentum slows, you must demonstrate your leadership ability by pushing the car uphill and getting it moving WITH your team.

Momentum Mutes Poor Performance

A new person joins the organization and seems to be closing every deal, and you think they are a star player. Little do you realize they are good with the people that others have already cultivated the relationship to the point they were ready to buy. Nor do you realize there is such brand awareness and positive press that everyone wants what you provide. This is momentum every leader wants.

Here is the deception. When the momentum slows, that new person’s skills that are lacking may become more apparent. The reality they were not cultivating new relationships becomes obvious. When momentum was high, their poor performance was hidden. As the leader, pay attention to where your people are and need to grow so momentum can continue. Get the individual with just a few fingers on the car to contribute more.

Take a moment and look at your organization or team. Are any of these deceptions getting you trapped? What can you do to prevent the deception and continue the momentum? Want to dive deeper into these 21 Laws? Contact me to discuss bringing this to your organization or team. Lead Well.

*Concepts are adapted from the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Dr. John C. Maxwell.

Jun

2023

Momentum: A Leader’s Friend

Remember riding your bike? Did you ride somewhere with lots of hills? Going uphill was difficult, but downhill was exhilarating. Downhill is all about momentum.

Momentum is an interesting concept that has been around since ancient times. It’s a powerful force that can help us make progress in our lives and achieve our goals. In physics, momentum is defined as “the quantity of motion of a body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.” In everyday life, we can define it as the impetus or energy that we need to keep going and remain focused on our goals.

Riding downhill required little momentum, but uphill was a lot easier once we got moving. When it comes to accomplishing something, momentum is key. It’s the driving force behind any successful endeavor. We can build on our successes and move forward quickly and efficiently by having momentum. Without it, we spin our wheels, feel stuck, and unmotivated.

Here are a few thoughts on how to create momentum in our leadership.

Shrink the Goal

When riding uphill, which by the way is what leadership usually feels like, you get the first turn of the pedals and then go pedal by pedal. Similarly, one way to create and maintain momentum is to break down our goals into smaller, achievable tasks. Riding or climbing a hill is taken one step/pedal stroke at a time. Small tasks create simple steps to gain success and build on them as we go. It also helps us stay motivated and on track because we see our progress.

Set Deadlines

I recently completed a project I started at the beginning of the year. I remembered my deadline to keep my momentum, especially during monotonous work. Deadlines help us stay focused and on task as we constantly work towards a specific goal. It also helps us avoid procrastination, which can be a major obstacle to achieving success.

Be Patient

Riding downhill is easy, but we don’t want our vision going downhill, therefore, our climbs are uphill. When riding my bike as a kid up the neighborhood hill in 12^th gear, I would have to pedal real hard initially, patiently pedal in the middle, and push through at the end. I didn’t realize until now that I was learning the patience required to gain momentum. Momentum is not created overnight. It takes time and effort to build and maintain, but once it’s in motion, it can be a powerful tool for achieving success.

Overall, momentum is an essential element of success. We need the energy and focus to keep going and achieve our goals. We can create and maintain momentum in our lives by breaking down our goals into smaller tasks, setting deadlines, and staying motivated. With momentum on our side, the climb is still challenging but easier.

Need help thinking about how to create momentum with your organization or team? Contact me for a discovery meeting to determine ways I can help you increase your momentum and that of your team. Lead Well!

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part IV

I was sixteen years old in a Honda Accord. We stopped on a hill. This is typically no big deal, but right now it was.

I was driving a manual (stick shift) car. This was my mentor’s car and he explained to me how I needed to slowly let off the clutch while gently pressing on the gas at the same time. I start the process, then it happened.

The car started violently shaking back and forth like it was having a seizure. Internally I was thinking the car was going to blow up! My mentor remained calm, told me to push the clutch back in and push down on the gas. With a jerk, shimmy, and big lurch I then moved forward.

I don’t know if you have ever had that specific experience, but it reminds me of leading ourselves. The car was either going to go forward or backward even if it stalled. If I put the brake on, then I would be stuck going nowhere.

Leading ourselves can feel like driving a stick shift that has a clutch that is slipping. We don’t know what to do and get stuck out of ignorance or fear. What can we do when we sense this temptation to be complacent?

Set a Goal

I had this statement from my older brother going around in my head saying I wasn’t coordinated enough to drive a stick so I had a goal to prove I could accomplish this. Maybe you are stuck and feeling paralyzed on what to do because of a lack of vision. Take time to ask yourself these three questions:

What makes me excited?
What moves me to tears?
What brings me great joy?

These questions help you identify your passion. Once you have clarity on your passion ask what is one step that can move me in that direction? This will reveal your first goal. Continue asking this to determine the following goals.

Get in Motion

A goal is like revving the engine. Next you must put the car in gear. At this point you know your goal and need to move. Is there someone you need to talk to? Maybe you need to develop a new habit that will get you moving in the direction of your goal.

Take time to determine the first step and then do it immediately! As you move discover the next step and take it. Continue asking yourself what is the next best step to help me get to my goal? This is like putting the car in first, but if we stay there too long we overheat so we shift into second and continue climbing the hill.

Find Accountability

As I was learning to drive this stick shift, I had a person beside me who could teach me and correct me if I was heading in a destructive direction. To avoid the complacency trap, find someone or a group of people who know your goals and will challenge you when you are not moving toward them.

Each Friday I have a business accountability partner call with a friend. A consistent question for us on the call is what did you do this week and what are you doing next week? This forces me to think into how I’m moving the business forward on a weekly basis. When I’m stuck he encourages me and when I’m lazy he is honest with me. A little tough love helps us all move from complacency to consistent action.

Which of these three steps do you need to take? Are you stuck in any of these areas and need someone to come alongside you to help you get unstuck and regain clarity on where you are headed or where you are leading your team? Contact me for a powerful thinking partner session to help you think into your business and go from stuck to soaring. Lead Well.

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part II

For many years I worked with teenagers and at times a young man would get himself in trouble for something done outside of school. At this point he would learn what I call my “rule of five.” The five people closest to you most impact the person you become.

This does not change for us as adults. Leadership expert John Maxwell describes The Law of The Inner Circle in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which I facilitate masterminds and workshops around. This law states:

“A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.”

People around us influence us either consciously or unconsciously therefore those closest to us matter. The reality with these people is that they can affect the momentum of what we are moving toward in one of three ways.

Negative

Some people create negative momentum from a lack of skill or knowledge. Because of the time required to train and equip these people the movement can slow. Slowing down to train ultimately will be a positive if the individual continues to grow and develop.

At times this negative momentum can be permanent and a major way those closest to us become negative influences is by their attitude. As leaders if we surround ourselves with people who are negative it will slow our momentum. Remember, we need people who will speak truth and help us see a different perspective, but if they have a bad attitude across all areas of their life the relationship may need to be evaluated and adjusted.

Indifferent

In his book Relentless (warning this book can be a little raw if you do read it) Tim Grover the personal strength coach for basketball legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and others says:

“Being relentless means never being satisfied.

It means creating new goals every time you reach your personal best.”

This mindset is essential to accomplish any worthwhile vision and if leaders surround themselves with individuals who are satisfied and indifferent it can be a virus. Just as negativity can be caught from those closest to us so can apathy and indifference. Indifferent people will encourage us to play it safe and to accomplish a worthwhile goal we must take risks. Evaluate your inner circle and determine if you have any indifferent people too close to you.

Positive

These people are the best people to have in our inner circle. The positive influencers are NOT “yes people.” They are people who believe in us and in what we are moving toward. They will come alongside us and help us move the vision forward whether as a thinking partner or working alongside you. These individuals will encourage us and give us perspective when we are down. Powerful positive people see the struggle of pursuing the vision but will allow you to borrow their belief and continue to help drive you forward when you are weary.

Who are the five people closest to you? Which category do they fit in? Sometimes we invest in having these influencers in our lives and sometimes they just appear. If you need help thinking into this or want to think into intentionally creating this inner circle then let’s talk. Remember the five people closest to us most impact the person we become. Choose them wisely. Lead well.

Sep

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum

I was facilitating a leadership roundtable group with a few small business owners and we discussed some roadblocks to momentum they have encountered? Based on their responses this post and later ones will address some of these challenges.

First, allow me to define momentum. Leadership expert and author John Maxwell in his bestselling book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership describes the Law of Momentum as a leader’s best friend. The best way to describe this is the idea of a train heading toward a brick wall. If a train is heading toward a wall at 55 miles per hour the momentum will drive it through the wall, but if the train is only going 5 MPH then it will bump the wall and stop with little to no damage to the wall.

For example, an individual trying to lose weight drops 5 pounds right away, then another 3 and they are seeing the payoff so they have momentum to keep following the path. A salesman keeps getting “no’s” and finally closes a deal, the momentum is starting, but it still feels slow. Once he gets rolling and closes multiple deals he begins to feel he can do anything.

What prevents this momentum? One of the obstacles is ourselves and our emotions. At times our enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm for the project we are working on prevents us from continuing the process. This lack of enthusiasm could come from multiple sources:

A lack of vision

Do we understand why we are doing what we are doing? Two bricklayers are working on a project. One is apathetic because he feels the job is tiring and monotonous while the other is whistling with enthusiasm. When asked why, the second says “I am building a cathedral!” He has vision.

A lack of autonomy

According to author Daniel Pink in his book Drive, one of the key factors for motivation is autonomy or a feeling that one is in control of his or her own life. If we see the vision, but do not have the ability to speak into the vision, our enthusiasm may quickly wane.

A lack of buy-in

Not only does buy-in apply to the vision, but equally (if not more) important is the leader. Do those who lack enthusiasm simply not like or trust the leader? Maybe they do not buy into the bigger picture and are content doing a specific role at an average level.

A lack of self-leadership

What recharges you? Are you spending enough time recharging your battery to rekindle your enthusiasm? If not, what do you need to do to renew your enthusiasm? Go to a conference, read a book, join a group of like-minded people, share new ideas . . .

These are just four possible causes of a lack of enthusiasm. The reality is no one can make you enthusiastic. What is your passion? What is your purpose? What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What makes you cheer loudly? Answer these and you may be on the path to finding your greatest enthusiasm. If you need help thinking into how to gain momentum personally or with your team, contact me for a thinking partner session. In the meantime, Lead Well.