Momentum
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 09:36 AM
Playing basketball in high school taught me a lot about momentum. There were times when our team would have momentum and it seemed that everything went our way. We made very few mistakes and the ones we did make we overcame quickly. On the other hand, when the opposing team had momentum, it seemed our mistakes were more frequent and more costly.
As with sports, we can achieve momentum in our production and the things we want to accomplish in our career. When you don’t have momentum in your career, it seems everything is more difficult and you lack the flow you need. Things don’t come very easy and you end up going from sale to sale desperate for the next one. That desperation bleeds through and compounds itself and makes success more difficult to realize.
I remember recognizing a number of years ago that I had very little momentum in my sales career. My production was average and was not getting me to financial freedom. Recognizing this, I decided to go on a 90 day sprint to generate the momentum I needed.
So what do you do if you find yourself or your organization without any momentum?
There are 3 Simple Keys to generating the momentum you need to reach your goals.
Recognize your Situation – You have to recognize it if you are going to do anything about it. The economic challenges that the US in particular has gone through has opened many eyes to this fact. Being an order taker is not necessarily momentum. Many have recognized how close they have come to being out of business without realizing it.
Create the Plan – Momentum doesn’t just happen, it must be created by applying constant pressure. In basketball you may apply a full-court press. In your career, you must step back and create a plan. I planned out my 90 days and asked my wife if she was OK with me working 7 days a week for those 90 days. We came to an agreement and I started working the plan immediately.
Don’t Stop When You Start to Have Success – This is one thing I see too often. Once we start seeing success, we stop following the Plan because we’ve ‘made it’. Real momentum is measured by overflowing pipelines, consistently increasing revenue and a general sense that you are in the zone. Things start coming easier. You still have to work hard, but that hard work is paying off now.
Momentum can be your friend if you use it to your advantage. Recognize your lack of momentum, create a plan to generate momentum and don’t stop when you start having success. Follow the plan, and you will see consistent success.
The Author, Gregg Goodmanson, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.