Momentum for Coaches and Leaders: How To Create a Movement, Course Correct the Ship and get your boogie on.

Have you ever found yourself leading a team in self-destruct mode?

If you are like most people, you have at one time or another experienced the loss of team momentum.  A few things go wrong, frustrations rise, egos flare and before you know it even YOU are screaming UNCLE!

No bueno. As leaders we GOTTA learn to manipulate momentum.  Next time your team is self-destructing, think of it like a physics problem.

This week's leadership training for teens was inspired by a dance party I attempted to ignite at the Bellagio fountain inVegas :

Click here to Watch the Video On Facebook

Momentum= Mass x Velocity. 

For the sake of our team analogy we will break down these terms:

• Momentum: the quality in which your team can move to get things done.
• Mass: the number or percentage of team members behaving one way
• Velocity: the amount of optimistic urgency in any individual. 

The Story

I am at a leadership conference in vegas and we are learning about How to Create a Movement.   Someone shares this 3 minute TED TALK  on the topic, where (spoiler ALERT) Derek Sivers breaks down how a Dance party is started. His message: movements aren't started by the leader but instead by the first follower. 

So like good leaders do...  I bounce into implementation mode, headed to the Bellagio water show. As the fountain music begins to play I decide to initial a spontaneos dance party among the crowd.

Fast forward 3 minutes 47 seconds of quality people watching....

 my dance party fails.  I am left with very much without an awesome "Remember, that one time in vegas" story.

My dance party failed because as soon as I got my "first follower", I abandonded them. I moved on to seduce the next unsuspecting tourist into my scheme. As soon as I left the first, they stopped. Most people aren't comfortable dancing alone in public spaces.

MOST people (ESPECIALLY TEENS) aren't comfortable going against the TIDE of the group. It is easier to be quiet than to try to cheer up a mob of frustrated, angry teammates, that are having fun making excuses and complaining. 

Think of the little league team that is super quite. No one is talking and no one is moving. For most, it would feel odd to them to turn to their team mates and start talking to them, when no one else is willing to engage. They feel like my first follower.

Let's REVISIT the science equation Momentum = V x M

First, I had no mass (no people.)  So I startedbfinding the first person, but failed when I didn't keep that person u. So even though I was gaining personal velocity, it didn't help the movement grow. As soon as I moved o, I lost all my mass. 

Momentum= Mass X Velocity and anything times zero is zero.

If we have zero mass (mass = # of people sharing our vision) it doesn't matter how much effort we put in, we aren't going to change our momentum. 

If we have ZERO velocity (optimistic urgency) in any one of our team members, no change can happen to our momentum. 

Real Life Implementation

The captain of a sailing ship can't fight the tide on his own, but with a few loyal crew members together they can reset the sails. 

1. Find Your Zero. Is it that you have no body on board, or the people you have on board have no urgency? Identify your zero and fix that first.

2. Focus Your Sails: Pour 80% or more of your energy in the top 20% of performers. Run with the mass you have and focus on velocity for those team members, reward them for their effort. Do your job right and they will attract others to change their ways. 

 3. Plus the Holes. We all know how one toxic additude can take down the ship. We loose momentum with every individual that is not on course. Do what you can to help recalibrate them. Ask questions. Find out what drives them, is there something wrong that's "under the water" that you aren't aware of? Help your teammate course correct if they can or decide when it's time to cut ties. 

4. Stay your Course: We need more leaders like you. Stay driven.  As long as you own YOUR personal momentum, your boat will never come to a complete stop. You may change crews but no matter what, your journey will be great. Sail on! 

On your Team, Coach Jenn Starkey

Click here to Watch the Video On Facebook