Building Momentum

In a sporting match, when one team begins to make things happen, move the ball quickly, or put points on the board in rapid succession, what's the secret?


Momentum is powerful. So powerful, in fact, that in the sports world an opposing team will do just about anything to break the pattern and cause momentum to stop in its tracks — call a time out, stop the clock, or cause a foul or penalty.

Momentum can be a game changer for your business, too. It could mean closing several deals back-to-back or executing a successful marketing campaign that brings new customers, one after the other. Or maybe it's a string of successful hires that creates a new sense of energy and accomplishment in the team.

And there's more good news: even when obstacles get in the way (which they will), momentum has the power to transfer its energy through objects in your path.

So how do you go about building this kind of momentum for your business?

Read on!


A Lesson from Physics

Newton’s Cradle is a mechanism consisting of five steel balls suspended from a sturdy frame. When one of the balls collides with the others, the actions and reactions of the entire system demonstrate Newton’s laws of motion.

The moving ball has a certain amount of momentum (a tendency to remain in motion) and when it is stopped by the collision, this momentum is transferred to the next ball in the line. The next ball can't go anywhere, so it transfers the momentum to the next ball in line. This transfer of momentum continues until the momentum is given to the last ball in the line. Because its movement is not blocked, when the last ball receives the momentum it continues on the path of the first ball.

So what's the application for your business? If you're not in motion, you'll probably stay that way. If you have momentum, you can transfer that energy to others. If you keep moving when something gets in your way, eventually you will see results.

Get serious about it. I know we are all serious to some degree, but what would happen if you really got down to brass tacks? What happens when we put aside the fluff and simply focus on what it takes to become successful?

Plan the work, work the plan. As much as been said about the value of effective planning, it is amazing to me how few businesses do it. Establish serious goals and write them down. Determine exactly what it will take to reach those goals, and build a plan to get them done.

Follow through. All the planning in the world amounts to a hill of beans if you don’t execute!  Build in accountability so you don’t lose focus (or let yourself off the hook!) A great coach is a must!

Do it every day. Your plan should not stop at just defining success. It should break it down into the daily steps that MUST be taken. Study the most successful, and you will find disciplined routines.

Make time work for you. It’s not about time management, it’s about calendar management. What is most important should get the necessary allotment of your schedule, even when you are under pressure from seemingly ‘urgent priorities’.

Garbage in, garbage out. You are what you take in, right? Soak up positive reinforcement from great sources, from those who have achieved and you wish to model. A great source is Success Magazine. Publisher Darren Hardy is a solid example of what it takes and what momentum can do.