Momentum – Part 1

This week I want to walk through a series of blogs about Momentum. As John Maxwell likes to say, “Momentum is a Leader’s best friend, or worst enemy.” Over the past decade and a half of ministry and leadership experience, I have certainly been on both sides of the momentum pendulum. I want to throw out a few thoughts on momentum this week. Here we go…

1. There are times and seasons for everything. The Bible definitely gets this one right! Unfortunately, too many of us leaders, don’t. We want to constantly be pushing and moving our organizations forward, but one of our primary jobs as leaders is to know what our people can endure. The leader who never rests their organization burns people out.

2. You need mountains and plateaus. It’s just good for the rhythm of an organization if there are seasons of rest. Farmers know this, and rest their fields 1 out of every 7 years. It gives the soil a chance to replenish the nutrients that have been lost by growing crops for 6 years. (Wow, that was a total Indiana Illustration! I guess I’m going back to my roots! Sorry about the pun!)

3. The great task of leadership is to create momentum even in the Plateau seasons. The tendency of leadership is to think that momentum must be lost during a “plateau season.” I don’t believe that to be true. It simply requires us as leaders to refocus our energy and efforts of the organization into a different direction.

4. Think Momentum Shift. Good leaders think in terms of shifting momentum from advancement to fortification. Momentum can be created and sustained during seasons of rest for an organization, but it all depends on the leader’s perspective and approach.

Do you need to shift the momentum in your organization or department?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt