Stagnation vs Motivation 2024?

 

By now, you have been at your desk for a couple of days and turned your calendar to 2024. What awaits you for the next 12 months? Have you thought about that? Are you beginning 2024 with an attitude of dread and stagnation? Or are you perhaps sitting like a race driver at the start line of a big race?

Do you have what John Maxwell terms “The Big Mo?” Momentum for this next year? How does one obtain “momentum?” Are you born with this, or is “momentum” a learned skill? Let’s explore this in the January Blog Post.

Let’s begin with a blank mind and let go of our preconceived perceptions of what Momentum is and is not. This will help to give us a fresh perspective on the topic of Momentum. 

There are some principles that govern Momentum. Where does one find these? They are not in books but rather in the experiences of those leaders who have Momentum and seeded that to their employees and businesses to move them forward. One of the most important thought patterns of a leader who has Momentum is their ability to maintain and live personally and professionally ethically. Today, in business, this is not the norm. Leaders are looking for quick fixes to the bottom line to benefit shareholders and, in turn, keep their position. That’s just it, isn’t it… Keeping your job is more important than doing what is ethical and legal in some cases versus moving the whole organization forward with a shared set of values, goals, mission, and vision, which creates Momentum. 

What does your planner look like today? I am old school and use a paper planner; why? Because it works best for me and gets my engine [Momentum] started in the right direction. I am not searching on various devices trying to figure out what is next. 

Back to “Momentum.”  Momentum is the power to run the whole business, whether you work remotely, or in a brick-and-mortar building. Just look at who is in your office first. That most likely is a person with Momentum. Early in and ready to move forward. 

Principle 1: The business itself strategizes as a group for the next quarter, year, 5-year plan and so on. In order to do this strategizing, a business must look to where the gaps are in areas such as: materials, tools, skillset, techniques, personal needs, supply chains, marketing, resources, bottom line figures and so on. This is a herculean task for the leader, but when shared with the business at large can come up with unique and Momentum moving strategies for the entire organization. 

Principle 2:  The leader of the business is the person responsible for the end results of the strategies put forth by the leadership team and the other members of the business. “The buck stops here,” is a famous phrase often used in this situation. The person with the ultimate responsibility for the success of failure of an organization depends on a leader with experience, knowledge, perspective, and skills that are both natural and learned.     

Principle 3:  Fuel propels Momentum forward. What is the fuel of your organization? Where does it come from? Can fuel be purchased? Where does a business go to refuel when it is empty? All valid questions, where do we find the answers? Usually, the first words from a group of business leaders are:  Finances, product sales, stock price, etc. But that’s not the fuel we are talking about here. We are talking about the fuel of the organization to keep the business humming along with happy employees who are productive and are not in and out clock punchers. Yes, their pay is important, but so is recognition for a job well done, and so is the opportunity to be mentored, coached, going to a conference to interact with peers and learn new skills and techniques, and experience other markets.

Principle 4:  Are we on track, on course with our projections, mission, vision, goals, and so on from Principle #1? How does an organization know? They know by measuring and reviewing, and weighing everything against those milestones set forth in Principle #1. Who is responsible for these milestones? Every employee, all leadership and even those who have invested into the business at large. When a postmortem is done on a failed business, one finds it is not just one thing, but rather many small things that set the business on exit after exit from their original course which ends in failure.

Principle 5: Someone must be the conductor of this orchestra [business] to keep it humming along. Who is that in your business? I am not talking about the CEO or the big boss, but rather the person you report to. How often does this manager touch base with you and the team to see where you are in those milestones, what the day-to-day issues are, where you might need some mentoring or help, and what you are accountable for each day? This is a reciprocal relationship; you are to hold your manager to his/her standard of being there for you and helping you reach your goals.

Principle 5: What happens when the business hits a rough patch during the year? When many of the parts of the business have stalled and lost traction, what happens then? Who swoops in life as a superhero and saves the day? This is the point where some hard self-examination takes place, and a revisit to Principle #1 is needed. When a company derails it can be hard to upright the group and get traction, and regain the Momentum and morale of the employees. Two things usually happen: The leader is fired, and a reorganization occurs [which can in itself further derail and trash morale], or an infusion of outside examiners is hired to come in and see what the issues are and try to “fix” the organization. Whichever process is used, there are sure to be employees exiting the organization for greener pastures, morale remains low, and productivity is hard to get Momentum going again. 

As a leadership coach, I have seen, mentored, and coached many leaders through all of these principles, and the success or failure of those relationships lies in the coach’s ability to listen deeply, be quiet, and not dole out advice. And the ability of the leader to be willing to peel back the onion [in their case, it is their ego], take a good hard look at themselves, and see a new way of leading. 

Do you see yourself in any of these situations? How willing are you to look closely at your own situation? The higher you climb on that corporate ladder, the harder it gets, and you become the one under the magnifying glass. Yes, it is great to be on the top of the pile, but it is also a heavy burden. 

Beginning this month, we will explore these burdens, and if you are looking for a partner to challenge you, I am available to be that partner. If you would like to give it a try, let’s go. If the first month does not meet your expectations, your money will be returned to you.

Reach out to the address below, and let’s begin.

janice@janicebastanicoaching.com
8914 Collina Ct.
Granite Bay, CA 95746
908-229-3797
www.janicebastanicoaching.com
www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/janicebastani

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