Building momentum

A fisherman from the city was out fishing on a lake in a small boat. He noticed another man in a small boat open a tackle box and take out a mirror. Curious, he rowed over and asked, “Hey buddy, what’s the mirror for?”

“That’s my secret way to catch fish,” answered the other fisherman. “Shine the mirror on top of the water. The fish notice the spot of sun on the water above, so they swim to the surface. Then I just reach down, net them, and pull them into the boat.”

“Wow! Does that really work?”

“You bet it does.”

“Would you be interested in selling that mirror? I’ll give you P2,000 for it.”

“Well, okay.”

After the money changed hands, the city fisherman asked, “By the way, how many fish have you caught this week?”

“You’re the sixth,” the other one answered.

That’s a fine catch, and the word for this is MOMENTUM. 

Have you ever watched a basketball team score continuously every time they go down the court, even forcing the opponents to commit maybe three turnovers in a row? What does the coach the other team usually do?

He calls a time out.

And why does he have to do this? Because he wants to break the “MOMENTUM!”

When someone tells you they’re “on a roll,” that’s momentum.

When sales are coming in and money is pouring in, that’s momentum.

When invitations continue to come and reviews for every performance you give continue to rave, that’s momentum.

When you’re consistently beating deadlines on a project, that too is momentum.

So now you have a big project and so many people are involved.

How do you build momentum to keep your team on course and enable them to accomplish your intended goals?

May I offer a couple of suggestions?

First, understand that you build momentum by accumulating small successes. 

Doug Firebaugh says, “The secret to Momentum in life can be found in the word Momentum... you create it Moment by Moment.”

The bigger the project, the bigger the payoff, as long as momentum is there.

Here are a few more suggestions:

1. BE SERIOUS WITH BUILDING MOMENTUM

Have everyone know that the entire team will push all speed ahead once they know how to create momentum. 

2. TARGET A FEW SMALL WINS

These may be initiatives that are easy to carry out, do not cost much and do not meet many objections. A few small wins will give your team the starting push to get momentum going. Choose these small projects and get them done. This is your way of telling the team that you are now on the move. 

3. LET SMALL WINS LEAD TO BIGGER ONES

The reason the second suggestion is crucial is because it enables you to gain the energy, the zeal and, most important, the optimism to tackle bigger endeavors. But may I suggest that you focus on just one important thing, not too many of them? Trying to do too much at once may cause a diffusion of focus and demoralization in the group. You need at least one big win to be able to win some more. 

4. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS

Once you see victories coming in, celebrate publicly. Send e-mails, put it on your company newsletters, congratulate everyone in your team and make sure their bosses are copy furnished. Praising people publicly is one of the best non-monetary motivational tools you can use to prepare them to accomplish more and achieve even bigger goals. 

It takes a leader with a grand vision to be able to achieve great success.

Peeking through a peephole is no way to stay motivated when you’re moving toward a goal. The big picture is important. The leader with the big dreams, the big goals, the big rewards, and the big faith is the one who can keep his people moving through obstacles and fatigue and discouragement.

Study Jesus in the New Testament, and discover how He discipled a handful of rowdy disciples and got them to do great things that turned the whole world upside down.

Best leadership lesson ever, if you were to ask me. 

(Develop your leadership skills! Francis Kong will be the lead trainer for Dr. John Maxwell’s “Developing the Leader Within You” leadership program this June 28-29, at the EDSA ShangriLa Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)