What does it take to get something started?
You’re probably aware of Newton’s Law of Motion:
A body at rest tends to stay at rest, unless an external force acts upon it…
It takes initiative. It takes gumption. It takes someone making the decision to act, and then demonstrating the discipline to do it.
If it was the space shuttle, it took 1.5 million pounds of fuel in the first 10 seconds to accelerate the space shuttle from zero to 18,000 miles per hour to reach orbit. My son tells me that on a diesel locomotive, it often takes two engines, and even when at rest, the engineers will leave one of them idling, because it takes a lot to get one started and running.
It’s a decision to act. It’s the discipline to do it. Leaders understand this. They recognize what it takes to get a project started well and they focus on doing so, as they understand this is what it takes to gain momentum and keep the project moving in the right direction.
It’s a little disconnected, but I enjoy doing needlework. While I would prefer to just jump right in and start stitching, I force myself to follow a routine of preparation, which serves me well in the long run, because otherwise my project supplies (and the end product) would be a mess. So, I make a copy of the pattern, so I can write on it to keep track of what I’ve done and what comes next. I sort all the embroidery floss (threads) so I can find the colors I need quickly. I stretch the fabric on a frame to keep it taut while I work it, and it allows me to focus in on the part I’m working on, rather than having a huge piece of linen to deal with.
As a leader, paying attention to getting off to a good start and building momentum then allows them to fine-tune the direction their teams need to take to maximize progress toward the goal.
As we begin week two of our focus on initiative, take some time to think about and answer these questions:
Think back to a project you’ve led that went well. What initiative did you take to get started?
How did you build momentum?
How did you sustain that momentum?
What was the outcome?
Contrast that to a project that didn’t begin well…What happened?
What can you learn from these experiences to carry forward?
