Momentum starts with commitment and can be easily gained or lost. Good leaders find a way to sustain momentum, but great leaders amplify it. So how do these great leaders amplify momentum not only for themselves but with their team members? It starts with passion. What are you passionate about, and what are your team members passionate about? Here’s a key. The passion for one needs to be the same for all.
Leadership needs to instill their vision into the team they serve. You may be asking; how will you know if you have been successful in doing so? Trust me, you will know. It’s when your team members mirror your passion. It’s when you can sit back and admire their buy-in. It’s almost like your work is done here, but it’s never done. Not if you want to keep momentum. I call it “Never taking your foot off the gas.”
A momentous leader needs to be nimble, and able to adapt quickly, virtually changing direction on a dime. None of this dogged ego-based stuff. I’ve seen way too many organizations that fall victim to this type of leadership where trust is carte blanche and placed in the hands of leaders who are underqualified, have an agenda, or have closed their minds.
Momentous leaders keep their egos in check and stay completely open to the genius of the people around. They are humble and self-aware, knowing they don’t have a corner on the knowing what to do market. They also keep team members focused on the end goal and remove any distractions or impediments to expeditiously reaching the attainment thereof.
One of the biggest momentum killers is lack of clarity of purpose. I have been involved in efforts where leaders cannot articulate what they are doing, why they are doing it, or where they are headed. This is more common than you think. When I ask them to share their plan, there is usually a reluctance, and when I finally see a copy of it, I can see why. Normally, the document is recycled, boiler plated, and nebulous at best. It could have been applied in virtually any situation. Like no real thought went into its design. What’s disappointing is that these leaders were entrusted to deliver something of significance, but instead delivered nothing but time-wasting fluff. Here’s the deal. If you can’t quickly state the end goal as well as a general idea of how to get there, then there is a problem.
