16 Practices that Reignite Momentum
You lost momentum because you did the right thing too long.
Momentum never changes until something changes.
Igniting momentum requires shifts in attitudes, behaviors, methods, and results.
16 practices to reignite momentum:
- Celebrate in public. Kick butt and complain in private.
- Define current reality. Don’t pussyfoot. Use hard data, observable behaviors, and market conditions to explain where you are.
- Admit what isn’t working.
- Take a break.
- Draw a line in the sand. Determine how long you’ll stay the course before making adjustments.
- Learn something that shifts your thinking.
- Learn by refocusing on customers and clients. Lost momentum invites leaders to isolate and sink inward.
- Eliminate toxic people, practices, and programs.
- Simplify. Ask, “What should we stop?” Kill the program that you fell in love with because it worked way back when. Energy returns when you stop wasting it.
- Narrow focus. Achieve one or two objectives. Do less.
- Send teams to conferences or seminars. Charge them to connect with successful leaders, not just listen to speakers.
- Evaluate through customers’ eyes, not your own.
- Explore key success factors. How are others succeeding? What causes turnarounds?
- Explain what you’re really doing, constantly. Rise above completing tasks; fulfill shared vision.
- Create and expect leadership cohesion. Grab an oar and row in the same direction.
- Listen to those who have succeeded.
Bonus: Working on positives more than negatives. Avoid taking the wind out of people’s sails.
5 questions that ignite momentum:
- When is our next win?
- What can we do now to create better?
- What will make next time better?
- What happened that made this great?
- How can we prepare for danger that’s around the corner?
Bonus: How can we integrate new talent?
Momentum – positive energy – comes after positive shifts in attitude, behavior, method, and results.
Which of the practices or questions do you find most useful?
How can leaders reignite momentum?
Thanks for the kick butt. I needed that. What a great list of ideas.
Dauna
Go get’em! Thanks
wonderful ideas Dan … simple loved it !!!
Thanks and best wishes, Garima
🙂
Thanks for the insight. I find when I go to “gratitude” momentum picks up dramatically.
Great add Leadershipjones! Thank you.
Dear Dan,
I find some of the points very useful- celebrate in public and eliminate toxic people. Leaders should celebrate positive things in public and encourage others to follow the same. I appreciate the idea of complaining in private. Leaders should also keep in mind that complain should be realized and not insulted. There are people around who always talk toxic. They always find the way to talk something that is against the system and people. Initially leaders should observe such symptoms and warn them. And when they do the same things again, they should be thrown out without any mercy. This provides strong signal to people what works in the system. This also discourage the bad practices.
And these are the essential elements that reignites the momentum in the system. Leaders can provide platform by creating opportunity and freedom but unless they put lubricant in the wheel, platform will remain stagnant. So, trust is the lubricant, that makes wheels moving, And leaders provide lubricants to the platform created to reignite.
Thanks Ajay,
You made me think about the power of turning complains into solutions. All negative talk must have a positive purpose.
I see two other words that really help: freedom and trust. Good stuff!
Great ideas, Dan! I love that many of your points drive us to reignite momentum by CREATING momentum in ourselves and/or in our teams. I especially enjoy your point about sending team members to conferences. This develops your team and can bring home energized leaders with new ideas.
My favorite question is “How can we integrate new talent?” This opens your organization up and helps it grow toward the future.
Thanks Justin,
I appreciate your observation. I didn’t have the idea of building momentum in ourselves, individuals, and teams when I wrote. It makes perfect sense and adds power clarity. Bingo.
Well for starters kiss…..keep it simple stupid…..speaking for me of course.
Realize there is only one problem that includes all problems and one solution that includes all solutions.
The problem conscious separation from God. Solution conscious contact with God.
God either is and is sufficient to ALL my needs or NOT. If so working to improve that relationship would seem prudent, yes?
Now when I am straight Spiritually then when I am dealing with Gods other kids I do not always know what to do next. If I am connected In the moment I can ask for inspiration and guidance to do the next right thing directly in front of me. After some practice I get the feel for understanding the answers.
Also I have experienced when I am right, straight, jiggy with…whatever you want to call it Spiritually I straighten out mentally and physically.
Isn’t dealing with folks part of that mental part? I think so!!!!!
Or I can keep trying human solutions to spiritual problems and even when I seemingly temporarily succeed there is this gnawing sense if something is just not quite right. Ugh!!!
Just how I roll. If you do it different don’t mean you are wrong just trying to live with the human condition different than me.
Just my opinion based on my experience trudging the road to happy destiny. Working for me think it will work for you.
I Concur!
Shifterp back to the present!!!!
Thanks Scott,
I appreciate you adding the spiritual dimension to momentum building. As I wrote this morning, I didn’t even think about those ideas. Thanks again
Another way to gain momentum is to change perspective. I guess that goes with number 6. I find that when I try to look at things a different way (even physically) it can help. I think it is a little like that reality show where the CEO does the physical job and learns how to make changes in the company. We can all gain some perspective by stepping out of our comfort zones and learning something new about our team.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Thanks for your insights Anthony.
It’s not as hard to change perspective as we think. Just stop thinking in old patterns and step outside yourself…even change physical location… Thanks for this thought… cheers
Number 12. Evaluate through customers’ eyes, not your own. This one strikes me as critical.to business in that if we don’t look at ourselves from the customers viewpoint we miss what we need to do to service them as they desire. I do not mean to change our business model for every customers whim, just listen (and I mean active listening) carefully and see if what the customer wants works for the majority of your clients. Too often we become internalized and look to impose our methods of communication and service on our customers and end up alienating them, which allows our competitors to get a toehold. Love the way you challenge us to think Dan!
Thanks Alan.
I’m glad you elaborated on #12. I agree that it’s crucial. Over the years, I’ve often lived with an internal focus…what do I think, what do I want…I need to ask those questions but it represents a powerful shift when we ask those questions of customers/others.
Gaining momentum includes opening up our thinking not closing down.
Cheers
One of your best, Dan. I particularly like #6, learn something that changes your thinking. For the better part of 40 years (yes, I am that experienced), I had a rule that I would not remain negative, down in the dumps for more than 48 hours. At the end of that time I normally DID something that would ignite some different thoughts. Often, it was how I greeted people. Instead of “ok” I would say something like, “I’m awesome today!” I found that very act buoyed my spirits, so I just kept going, until my thoughts caught up. An illustration of, “Fake it till you make it.” Sometimes it is easier to ACT your way to a new way of thinking than THINK your way to a new way of acting. It has served me well.
It’s also an illustration of what you talk about later…our tendency to get to inward directed in times of stress, or when things are going well. It is the very time when we need to be more externally focused in order to change momentum.
A number of great thoughts for leaders. I have a couple of clients that I plan to share this with. They are in need of a change in momentum.
Thanks, Dan.
Best…
Jim
Thanks Jim,
You honor us with your story and the addition of “act your way to a new way of thinking.” It makes me think of acting in ways that reflect how I hope to feel. Good call!
I’m thankful you dropped in today.
P.S. It’s a pleasure having a person of your “experience” join the conversation. 🙂
The title says it ALL! Great article.
Thanks Enna.
This is all great stuff, Dan, as usual. The question that comes to mind for me is: What is someone or a collection of employees to do when the “leader” is the one who can’t/won’t grasp these fantastic ideas, when s/he is the toxic person running the bad “program” and who, for example, leads in the way you wrote about last week about a leader that gives “permission” for employees to act, but only if they do it the way the boss wants without the boss having actually communicated those wants?
I’m new (10 weeks) at a 50-person company with a toxic, dysfunctional environment that is thoroughly rampant from wall to wall. It’s befuddling and disappointing, especially because it aligns with what I had/have felt was my greatest career opportunity yet.
I love your insights and blog, and have been developing my leadership interest over years of experiencing and observing others’ attempts (military and corporate). I very much identify with many ideas you write about. I just wish I could experience leadership — and/or contribute to a culture of it — like what you write about. It’s amazing to me that these things aren’t more commonly understood and practiced in the workplace.
Thanks.
Thanks Adam,
YOur frustration almost always comes up during leadership conversations. It probably wouldn’t be great if we could force people to change but sometimes it seems like it would be good.
ONe of the worst things is people damage their own growth when they become helpless. I’ve done that to myself.
I usually ask, “what can you do?” Find something. Be content that it’s a small thing and just start on your own. It’s simplistic, I know.
Best,
Dan
Check out Defining Moments by Bob Chapman and choose to be part of the solution not the problem. Video free on youtube.
Be the solution you desire.
This old profit before people is DEAD, it and the people who get something out of it just do not know yet. It’s cool the paradigm has already shifted.
Just watch over the next few years how the profiteers die off and the service to others roll in. It is what the 4th Dimension is all about.
I suggest picking a Leader who gets it and follow. Simon Sinek, Bob Chapman, Frank Kern to name a few.
Highly suggest you do not listen anymore to folks who call themselves leaders and have no clue they already stepped off the cliff. They not only got no clue, they don’t know they got no clue!!! Now THATs clueless!!! Unconscious incompetents…oh the humanity!!!!
If you look into Truly Human Leadership and want to join the solution. WELCOME.
If not good luck wit dat!!!! Hehe
Just like my opinion man!!!
SP back to the present
Avoid taking the wind out of people’s sails. This is a sure fire was to keep momentum going. Keep the wind blowing and keep their sails full. You do this through celebration, accenting the positives and gentle guidance towards the winds. Leaders have no time for dead spots….keep the momentum going by being proactive and looking ahead. Great stuff!
Thanks Chris,
Great insights. It’s so easy to take the wind out of someone’s sails. Things like meddling, correcting small insignificant things, putting them down when they have ideas, withholding praise,…the list goes on and on…
Best
Recreate yourself, recreate your team—which can re-create you and your team…do something fun, goofy, out of character, or find a way to tap into your former childlike enthusiasm, verve, and imagination. Definitely breaks down false walls of ‘adult’ behavior.
By fully immersing yourself in recreation, you shift your thinking/feeling/doing at a very core level and you may just see/do/experience life quite differently. Something of a ‘reset’ button if you will.
Tell me what you really think, Doc!
I’m so glad you added this. We all know what it means to have a moment of inspiration hit us after we have forgotten to think about our problems.
The world looks so much better through rested, recreated eyes.
Best to you
Thanks Dan, great list – I like the 1st one best of all, it’s a good reminder of what we need to do for ourselves and those around us. If you’re not living you’re dying, and if you’re not motivated – you’re sure not living. How do we create better? Be happy with where you are (it’s a fact and there’s no point in moaning about it); keep the celebration for where you are going (and your active progress towards it).
Richard
Thanks Richard,
I really enjoy your focus on celebrating active progress toward where you are going. It’s important and useful to accept where we are. But, leaders always do more than that… cheers
Needed reminded of this today, thank you. Preparing for our next steps to move forward this is a great help.
Thanks Ignite,
Best wishes. It’s always a pleasure to be of service.
#8 and #11 are great!
I love the use of hard data. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
BIG thanks from Down Under – both geographically and practically speaking. 6 months into a role transforming Organisational culture towards more person centered approaches and numbers 3, 13, 16 are singing to me and applying that tune to my work as we speak. Reading your post has provided the impetuous to refocus.
Great ideas and reminders on how to get momentum in the direction you want! I love the 5 questions (and bonus question) at the end. I’ll be sure to implement these concepts.
Thanks, Dan!
Great nuggets! This is right on time!
Great list Dan, thank you. I can identify with all but number 10 Narrow focus. Achieve one or two objectives. Do less. is most helpful for me.
Narrowing my focus down to one or 2 objectives at a time allows me to accomplish more from beginning to end. I am not overwhelmed by everything when there is less to do. So thanks again.