Momentum. McQueen Michael

players and business leaders. The reality is that everything we see around us is governed by and subject to the natural laws of science. Sure, we can ignore them or try to fight against them, but in the end we will find life a whole lot harder than it needs to be. Like constantly swimming against the tide or going against the grain.

      Objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion.

      On the other hand, if we recognise and leverage the natural rhythms of life, things become a whole lot easier – even effortless.

      The bulk of my research in recent years has centred on understanding the patterns, cycles and dynamics at play in organisational life – especially those behind the rise and fall of businesses and institutions.

      Back in 2011 I embarked on a research project tracking 500 of the world's biggest brands in an attempt to answer this question: What is the difference between the enduring and the endangered?

      Sadly, examples of endangered brands abound. Recent years have seen scores of iconic businesses and organisations fall from greatness in spectacular fashion. So endemic is this pattern that McKinsey & Company consultant Patrick Viguerie invented a term for measuring it called the ‘Topple rate'. This metric gauges the rate at which firms lose their leadership positions, and one thing is for certain – it is speeding up. According to Professor Richard Foster of Yale University, the average lifespan of a major listed company has shrunk from 67 years in the 1920s to just 15 years today.1

      Obviously there is massive value in understanding the dynamics that cause organisations and institutions to fall prey to the natural laws of decline and entropy – after all, a wise person learns from their own mistakes; a much wiser person learns from someone else's. However, I believe the far more interesting story is that of the brands and institutions that have learned to master and even harness the very laws that could otherwise have taken them out of the game. For every organisation or brand that has fallen on hard times, you will find another business offering similar products or services, to similar markets, that is flourishing. Compare, for example, the fortunes of Kodak with Fuji, Meccano with Lego, Saab with Hyundai, Pan Am with Delta Airlines and Atari with Nintendo.

      Interestingly, the dynamics of long-term success at play in organisations and institutions are much the same at an individual level too.

      If you're like me, I bet you've wondered why it is that some people seem to live a charmed existence. You know the ones. Perhaps they are a sibling, a competitor or even a close friend. They seem to have the Midas touch, never putting a foot wrong.

      While it is tempting to assume that uncommonly successful individuals are perhaps smarter, luckier or harder working than the rest of us, that is rarely the case. Nor is it because they knew the right people, had a better strategy, or read The Secret all those years ago and constructed a magnificent dream board.

      A wise person learns from their own mistakes; a much wiser person learns from someone else's.

      Rather, the common denominator among all uncommonly successful people comes down to one thing: just like enduring organisations, these individuals have figured out how to master the art of momentum. They have knowingly or unknowingly learned how to harness the natural rhythms of life and get them working on their side.

      What can we learn from these success stories? What is their secret to maintaining growth, vitality and momentum over the long haul?

      That is the focus of this book.

      In part 01, we will look at the very nature of momentum – how you know when you've got it and why it makes all the difference to lasting success for any organisation or individual. In part 02, we will look at five enemies of momentum – common traps and pitfalls that can cause any organisation or individual to lose vitality without realising it until it's almost too late. In part 03, we will explore the art and science of momentum, unpacking an equation for building, keeping or getting momentum back.

      By the end of our time together, my goal is that you too will have a clear sense of what it takes to build unstoppable momentum in every area of life. There may not be a shortcut or silver bullet, but there is a surefire formula – and it works.

      01

      INTRODUCING MOMENTUM

      Momentum is a funny thing. While the physical phenomenon may be simple to scientifically measure, in everyday life it is often relegated to little more than a subjective and fleeting sensation. Much like the wind, momentum can't be seen – but you can certainly feel its presence.

      Leaders will describe the sense of momentum they feel when their organisation is kicking goals month on month. Runners describe the flow-state of momentum at the halfway mark of a marathon when their body begins to run the race with a rhythm of its own. And we all know that thrill of work days when it feels like the tailwind of momentum is our best friend and everything we set out to do happens with ease and effortlessness.

      Much like the wind, momentum can't be seen – but you can certainly feel its presence.

      However, while momentum feels great, it can also seem as elusive as the fickle flashes of inspiration – here one minute and gone the next. Although it can be hard to pin down where momentum comes from, we certainly know how to describe the sensation when it hits us.

      Here are just a few of the sentiments I routinely hear from clients as they describe the feeling of having momentum:

      • ‘I feel like I'm in a groove or in my element – just holding on for the ride!'

      • ‘Everything and everyone seems to be in sync. Such a great feeling of harmony and synergy.'

      • ‘I was on a roll and everything just seemed to come together at exactly the right time.'

      • ‘I felt as if I was in a sweet spot where it wasn't even hard work anymore.'

      • ‘The business is firing on all cylinders and I can hardly keep up with the pace – it's an exciting time to be at the helm.'

      • ‘We were riding high and felt almost invincible or unstoppable. The growth was exponential and when people asked what the secret was, I honestly didn't know.'

      • ‘After a while it was like I was going with the flow – no longer trying so hard but getting better results than ever!'

      Now, while momentum certainly feels great and can lead to some incredible results, here are three tangible reasons to pursue and preserve it at any cost.

      REASON 01

      Momentum is generative

      Put simply, the more momentum you have, the more you get. In the same way that success breeds success, the energy of momentum always feeds on itself. While it may be slow at first, in no time momentum grows exponentially till you reach a critical mass.

      In his excellent book The Compound Effect, legendary business thinker Darren Hardy likens the process of building momentum to that of picking up speed on a merry-go-round when we were children:

       The first step was always the hardest – getting it to move from a standstill. You had to push and pull, grimace and groan, throw your entire body into the effort … finally you were able to get up a little bit of speed and run alongside it … you had to keep running faster and faster, pulling it behind you as you ran with all your might. Finally, success! Once the merry-go-round was spinning at a good clip, momentum took over, making it easy to keep it going. 2

      The key is this. Get moving – regardless of how hard it can be at first. Gain traction and get the tailwind of momentum working for you early on, then all you need to do is set your sails and go with the flow.

      Perhaps the generative power of momentum is most clearly seen in the sporting arena. More often than not, the team that scores the first goal starts a chain reaction. As they get into a groove, confidence builds and the next goal becomes almost inevitable, then the next, then the next. Conversely, the winning team's opponents can easily fall prey to the negative effects of momentum – the

1

Foster, R 2015, ‘Picking the next disruption', Business Spectator, 27 July.

2

Hardy, D 2010, The Compound Effect, Vanguard Press, New York, p. 94.