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It occurs at many points in life and business: something happens, and you get derailed.

• Personal situations arise that tug on your ability to lead in business.
• Business challenges occur that impact your personal income and relationships.
• Circumstances totally outside your control could wreak havoc on your otherwise orderly life and business. (COVID was one of those “circumstances”.)

The impact of these can last a short time or for many years. But the result is the same: they wreck your momentum.

And getting re-started can be quite the challenge!

For leaders, being able to quickly rebuild momentum is not only a healthy choice; it is an essential one. If you can’t bring it back, you can’t expect your team to fill the momentum gap.

How do you rebuild momentum?

Master Your Mission

Take time to reflect on your previous mission, vision, and values. Do they still fit? What would be your current mission, vision, and values? Maybe you started your career doing what someone else thought you should do but have come to realize that your current career is not a good fit for your strengths. Maybe you once enjoyed the work but now find yourself wanting to try something new or, at least, uplevel.

Getting clear on your mission, vision, and values is the spark plug of momentum.

Organize your Thoughts

Once you have your mission, vision, and values clearly defined, you have the wall upon which to throw the proverbial spaghetti. Some of what you have done previously will stick, and some things just no longer make sense to continue. Knowing your foundation helps you clear the mental clutter and move forward with more organization and clarity.

Make Your Plan

Once you know your foundation and have thoughts on what you want to do, the next step is key. You must plan. Planning helps you sort your thoughts into doable, executable, actions. Just the action of putting your goals and actions into writing is often enough to restart your momentum engine.

Engage Your Team

One major key to rebuilding and maintaining momentum is having a TEAM.

This includes

• Trainers (mentors, coaches, and advisors),
• Encouragers (family, friends, and accountability partners),
• Allies (partnerships and support), and
• Mentees (those you serve and train).

This cycle guides you, keeps you going, helps you get results, and gives you purpose.

It is the wheel of momentum that will keep you in the game.

Note Your Obstacles

Challenges are going to happen. You can deal with them proactively or reactively; the choice is yours. Proactively identifying and pre-addressing the obstacles allows you to have the solutions in place that you will need. This includes your team and resources.

Without a risk management plan, you risk losing momentum.

Take Your First Action

Sometimes an initiative can be daunting. This is where taking your first action can get you started. Break it down until you can determine your very first step. This may be making a phone call or having a conversation. It may be writing an email or signing up for a class. Just one simple action.

Understand Your Limitations

Sometimes rebuilding momentum requires you to consider where you lost it in the first place. It is possible that you hit an upper limit in terms of ability, strengths, resources, or energy. Address these key factors. This may mean giving yourself time to recharge or learning a new skill. This could mean hiring additional staff or delegating more to those you have. It could mean investing in a new tool. But understanding your limitations helps you determine what you need to do to overcome them.

Monitor Your Progress

Be sure to incorporate milestones and metrics into your action plan. Give yourself and your team the opportunity for small wins along the way. This provides a good interval balance of effort and reward, which has the effect of recharging you and your team as you progress toward the bigger end goal.

How is your momentum? If you are facing challenges in this area, working through this MOMENTUM guide will help you and your team get back on track!

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!