I really like the word momentum. It fosters many pictures in your mind depending on how you use it.

For example: I remember running a race in elementary school in which I had strong momentum. It seemed that with each step I pulled ahead of the pack; until apparently my feet could not keep up with my upper body, and my “momentum” ended up with me on the ground on my belly.

Businesses have momentum. Teams have momentum. Individuals have momentum. Sir Isaac Newton might tell us everything has a momentum.

The Importance of Business Momentum

Momentum is critically important for businesses, especially middle-market and small businesses. Controlling and directing your and your team’s momentum is the challenge of many an entrepreneur. Are you growing, are you stable (or stuck), or are you declining?

Here’s an analogy to think about: Imagine that you are going down a river in a kayak. There could be portions of the river with different speeds (momentum) and varying challenges to each (rapids, rocks or even alligators). Your ability to appropriately control your momentum or maintain control of the kayak when you can’t control the momentum is critical to successfully navigating your journey.

The other day my partners and I  were visiting with a key executive of one of our clients. He was reflecting upon his experiences in working with a Newport partner and mentioned how important it was to have brought him in to work with them.

Part of this management team’s challenge, in spite of being very successful, is that they were getting stuck in a rut of their own thinking. “Almost predictable,” he said, as it relates to knowing each other’s different position on a variety of matters. Instead of that being a positive, it was becoming a negative, affecting momentum and potentially quality of decisions.

Considering Your Business Momentum

So my challenge to entrepreneurs and CEOs of middle market companies: pause from the everyday race to think about your momentum. Think about it in the context of the business as a whole, your team, your human capital and yourself.

Do you feel in control of the momentum? Are you ready for what is further along the “river”? Does your crew know what you need them to do? Do you have the right resources in your “board-room” for the journey and its momentum…..including, ultimately, your exit?

If not, any of our Newport Board Group partners would welcome the opportunity to discuss your circumstances and how we and our Newport Expert Network™ could potentially help you.

About the Expert

Rex Holmes is a seasoned professional services executive with outstanding project and team management experience. He has served as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurial enterprises and industry leaders in domestic and international markets and has led teams to high-quality results in challenging circumstances. Contact or learn more about Rex here.

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Photo Credit: Flickr