In this 21 part series, based on John Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I’m taking you on a journey towards better leadership. I share with you my own leadership lessons and insights. As a John Maxwell Certified Team Member I’ll be happy to deliver transformational leadership training for your team or organization. See the details below.
Part 16 of 21: The Law of the Big MO
The Law of the Big MO: Momentum is a leader’s best friend. ~ John C. Maxwell
If you’ve got all the passion, tools and people you need to fulfill a great vision, yet you can’t seem to get your organization moving and going in the right direction, you’re in trouble. If you can’t get things going, you will not succeed. You need to look at the Law of the Big MO and harness the power of the leader’s best friend: momentum.
If you can't get things going, you will not succeed. Click To TweetWhen I started my nonprofit organization back in 2001, things were very slow and difficult. I had to overcome many legalities, financial struggles and work really hard to get things going. It took time to build the right relationships, create all the materials necessary and set the systems in place. For couple months it seemed like nothing is ever going to happen.
When I was leaving the country and moving to Canada in 2006, I looked back happy to see the results. Our prevention programs were taught in every school in my town, we successfully ran multiple projects with various groups and even opened a Mothers’ Centre for moms on mat leave. Just a side note: mat leave in Slovakia is 3 years, which brings very unique challenges like loss of work skills or loss of touch with reality (especially in small towns where there’s no place to connect with other people). We managed to gain sympathies of our community, support of media and local government, but most importantly trust of people we aimed to support.
I knew that what helped me get there was loads of persistent work, but also something more… momentum.
When you have no momentum, even the simplest tasks seem impossible, small problems look like huge obstacles. The future appears dark. It’s hard to get going.
On the other hand, when you have momentum on your side, the future looks bright, obstacles appear small, and troubles seem unimportant.
If you want to succeed in business, work, as a team or in life, you must learn the Law of Momentum and make the most of it. Here are some things you need to know:
1. Momentum is the great exaggerator
Momentum is like magnifying glass; it makes things look bigger than they really are. When you have momentum, you don’t worry about small problems, and many larger ones seem to work themselves out. Resistance is not a challenge under the law of big MO.
2. Momentum makes leaders look better than they are
When leaders have momentum on their side, people think they’re geniuses. They look past shortcomings. They overlook their mistakes. Momentum changes everyone’s perspective of leaders.
3. Momentum helps followers perform better than they are
When leadership is strong and there is momentum in an organization, people are motivated and inspired to perform at higher levels. They become effective beyond their hopes and expectations.
4. Momentum is easier to steer than to start
Getting started is a struggle. It takes effort and time. But once you’re moving forward, you can really start to do some amazing things. The law of big MO helps you move further faster and with less effort.
5. Momentum is the most powerful change agent
Nearly any kind of change is possible in organization if there’s enough momentum. Followers trust leaders with a proven track record. They accept changes from people who have led them to victory before.
6. Momentum is the leader’s responsibility
Creating momentum requires someone who has vision, can assemble a good team, and motivates others. If the leader is looking for others to motivate him, then the organization is in trouble. It is the leader’s responsibility to initiate momentum and keep it going.
7. Momentum begins inside the leader
Momentum begins within the individual leader. It starts with vision, passion, and enthusiasm. It starts with energy. Choose to model enthusiasm day in and day out and you will start attracting like-minded people – whether we talk about your team, organization or clients. Start motivating them to achieve, get the momentum going and you will see the difference.
Have you taken responsibility for the momentum in the area of which you are the leader? Are you passionate about the vision? Do you show enthusiasm at all times? Do you motivate others even when you don’t feel like it? Model the attitude and work ethic that you want to see in others.
Are you ready to improve as a leader? Here are couple resources for you:
If you’re an individual, you will want to join my Impact Academy, where I work with individuals from around the globe helping them to improve their leadership and results.
If you’re part of a team and want to step on this journey alongside of your team, contact me here to let me know about your team’s needs. I’ll be happy to offer a customized training based on your team’s needs.
This article is part of a 21-part leadership series.
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To your success,
PS: To gain even more insights into leadership, get a complimentary access to my Leadership Breakthrough eCourse below.
