We talk about momentum in all walks of life, from the physical — a car going down a hill — to the intangible — business growth and success. But what does momentum mean? And why does it matter?
For those of us who need a little reminder, momentum = mass*velocity. In order to have momentum you need to have mass (or a business) and that mass needs to be in motion.
The challenge in businesses — something we think a lot about at this time of the year — is to keep the trajectory of momentum from dying or going off course. Unlike a car going down a hill, in business, not everything is linear and predictable. There are inevitable obstacles we encounter as we cruise along the road to success. Planning is the most we can do to avoid these challenges and to stay in motion and at a pace we can control.
As we progress on our journey into 2021, I think a lot about the plans I’ve set for our business and how to keep in forward motion towards our goals. I use three primary tactics to keep momentum building throughout the year:
1- Check in with plans on a regular basis. It’s not uncommon for plans to get delayed or knocked off course by distractions and unforeseen obstacles.. To avoid the feeling of running in place, you need to stay focused on your goals. If you look back at your plans each week you can easily see where you are in your journey — and where you still need to go.
2 – Plans must be fluid. Give yourself enough runway to adjust your plans. No matter what issues or setbacks arise, ensure your business has enough time to adjust and keep moving forward toward its end goal.
3 – Celebrate the little wins. It’s easy to focus on the big goals, but it’s just as important to give attention to the little wins along the way. These smaller victories are easy ways to keep your team excited about the work they are doing day in and day out.
No matter our role or discipline in this industry, we all want to start the new year off on the right foot and forge a path that propels our businesses forward. As we hit this second mile-marker of 2021, wherever you are on this journey, I wish you all steady forward motion towards your goals.
