Leadership is all about generating momentum.
And it’s also about making sure you are not inadvertently letting all that momentum slip away.
And yet, more often than you would think, this is exactly what leaders allow to happen. After all of their carefully-crafted efforts to build momentum for their organization, a few ill-advised steps can see all that momentum disappear.
But avoiding momentum-loss is usually very preventable, especially when you avoid these 8 classic momentum-killers…
1. Over-planning
Planning is necessary. Over-planning will suck the momentum out of your team.
2. Dragging-out decision making
When teams need a decision it’s deadly when no decision can be found. A delayed decision deflates morale.
3. Not communicating results
It’s tragic when the organization actually hits a milestone, and nobody finds out about it. Sharing good news is low-hanging fruit for momentum building.
4. Celebrating trivial matters
If you measure things that don’t matter, pretty soon you’ll be celebrating things that don’t matter. Don’t be side-tracked by irrelevant wins.
5. Not having short-term wins
Grand-slams are exciting, but rare. If you’re waiting for the big home-run ball, you could be waiting for a long time. Recognize short-term wins, and celebrate them when they are achieved.
6. Constantly changing targets
If you’ve ever been on a team that couldn’t seem to stick with a goal, you know how frustrating this is. And you know what a momentum killer it is when the target keeps changing.
7. Re-living past glories
Momentum is built by looking forward. There is a time and place to honor the past, but if you keep retelling the stories of a by-gone era, your momentum will be stuck in its tracks.
8. Re-organizing
One of the first signs of a stalled organization can be obsessive reorganization. If growth is causing you to shake things up, go for it. But don’t allow yourself to be caught in constant re-orgs.
John Maxwell describes momentum as “a leader’s best friend”. Because, as Maxwell points out, when you have momentum everything gets exaggerated, in a positive way.
So make sure your leadership efforts are indeed creating forward momentum.
And then ruthlessly guard against any momentum-killers that could let it all slip away.
