Welcome to Momentum’s Blog & Media page. This is the place where we share the information most aligned to our Mission. Whether it’s something we have created or the keen ideas of a collegial thought leader, this is where we provide insight and inspiration for people in business.
Enjoy!
It’s easy in business to get pulled away from that which really needs attention. There are so many variations on blinking lights and buzzing alerts that the ‘Butterfly Syndrome’ is easily activated. If you aren’t familiar with the Butterfly Syndrome, it’s that attention shifting behavior, where we move reactively from one thing to the next. Email can be an attractive Butterfly and so can social media. Of course smart phones are the Monarch of all attention catching Butterflies. Their compelling pull can lure even the most focused of business folk. For me, the biggest issue with the Butterfly Syndrome is that it can be so effective at keeping us from locking our attention on that which is most important or critical. Whether it be taking the time to increase our awareness around a particular area, crafting a plan of action, implementing that action or bringing it to completion, Butterflies will be flitting along the path. Staying with the program and keeping it moving forward requires a steadiness of mind and a pledge to largely...
read moreAs a business owner, there is an interesting corollary between hats and trust. In that, I mean the number of hats I feel compelled to wear in my business is oftentimes directly related to the level of trust I place in those that work in and for my company. Or, more accurately, do not place. My perceived workload as well as my concern about the health and future of my business are nearly always a barometer of how well I am trusting the vibrant resources in my midst. Trust is a big deal in business. It cannot be commanded nor intellectually generated. Once established, it can disappear in a flash. Trust is experienced not in the mind, but elsewhere. It can inform the mind, but it’s held in the heart. Which is why it can be such a challenge to foster in business. Workplaces are not traditionally environments where we allow our heart access. The truth is, if you want to activate trust within a company, the human heart is going to need to...
read moreOkay, I’m going to publicly admit something here. I am not a great networker. One to one relationships I love. Small group interactions I like. But being with groups of people in a networking setting…well, traditionally that hasn’t been my thing. Now, as a business leader, I recognize that this particular ‘thing’ is an area I need to work on. Entering networking groups comfortably is a skill I want to master. Is it a natural talent for me? Nope. Is it a skill I can develop over time? Yes, indeed. That’s a pledge. What I have come to learn, is that the act of stepping into a leadership role, whether in my business or other areas of my life, requires the humility to witness my weak muscles and the desire to build them up. Not in a self-critical sort of way, but from the place of desiring a greater level of excellence. It’s critical to hone these skills and it matters that I do. Not only to the growth of my company, but to...
read moreGuns, batons, switchblades…none of these are legally allowed in the workplace. I’m sure you’ve seen the sign posted prominently in the foyer. Rather, other types of weaponry are stealthily brought into the office, in case of offensive or defensive need. Add to that, a wide array of personal shields and armor, at hand and ready to fend off possible attack. Though you may not see these armaments brandished or secured in a shoulder holster, trust me, they’re usually there. The workplace began and continues to emerge as an environment where control, ego battle and ego survival run rampant. Work has been equated to a war zone, a jungle, a battleground and a field of competition—all places replete with fear, anxiety and the threat of defeat or death. News Flash!! Those types of environments are not places where most people want to hang out and work. And, there’s a really good reason for that—they do not feel like safe places to be. Paranoia and anxiety are not reliable promoters of excellence, potential or creative genius....
read moreWhen you really look at a business, at the people that work there, it’s like a rich, flavorful stew—comprised of varying background, perception, desire, ability, expectation, history and hope. Each person that shows up is completely unique. Within the whole of it, there will never be two or more people with an identical worldview. Never. Each person holds and will continue to hold a singular perception of everything. It’s the nature of how we humans perceive and process the world. Not to freak anybody out here, but that’s the truth of it. It’s no wonder then, that it can be challenging to create alignment and a collective outcome amidst all this distinctiveness. In the past, the proposition was so incomprehensible, that control seemed the most appropriate solution—to command people to line up and operate more or less mechanistically. It was a ‘push’ mentality designed to externally steer people towards the desired outcome. Or, to use pain or pleasure to extract the desired action. Regardless of its form, it was relying on an external force,...
read moreEver feel like you’re drowning in a tsunami of information? Online articles and white papers, inter-company reports and metrics, emails and Tweets—the waves of information keep on coming. Somewhere along the line, information began proliferating like some unrestrained bacteria and continues to spawn exponentially. I’ve come to refer to this phenomenon as the great data dump. Even as I say this, it may seem I’m hypocritically contributing to the morass. This is, after all, a blog I’m writing. However, it’s not the existence of prolific data that I’m referring to here. It’s the ever-present challenge of mastering two distinct skills in response to this tsunami: content curation and disciplined digesting. Both of which have become competencies that are must-haves for anybody in business. Curating content requires the spirit of an explorer and the focus of a microbe researcher. It’s a job of dual and opposing practices. The explorer is open-minded and casts a wide net while the researcher maintains a clear focal point, undeterred by passing temptation. In this digital information age, replete...
read moreAccording to Woody Allen, “Showing up is 80% of life and success.” In many cases, I believe that…but not in all. When it comes to work and business, simply showing up doesn’t usually get the job done. It’s a great start, but the more important question to ask is, “how much of who we are gets to show up?” As a business leader, professional advisor and former employee, I’ve observed the many ways in which people ‘show up’ at work. In fact, I adopted my own retinue of ‘showing up’ personae over the years. These personae represented parts of the whole, but rarely the whole itself. Depending on the work environment, certain aspects got to show up and certain aspects were safeguarded outside the company walls. The whole enchilada was rarely made available. That’s a problem. Why? Because the extraordinary, the remarkable, the above and beyond, even the really good, is a product of the whole enchilada. A plain flour tortilla is not extraordinary. How fully and completely any given person is showing...
read moreWe have become so accustomed to leaders possessing a handful of culturally lauded qualities that we have forgotten some of the most critical aspects of remarkable leadership. Good looks, affability, charisma, confidence, easy talking, boldness and even height figure largely these days. Much of the appraisal is based on the visual—do they look the part. Then, do they sound the part. And, finally, do they act the part. Of course, content plays a role in our evaluation, though at times that can be difficult to assess. Now, I tend to look upon leadership less from the context side and more from the content side. I believe leadership, whether it be to one or many, is a pretty big deal. Whether it’s the guy who owns and runs a small service station or a person in political office or the CEO of a financial behemoth—if you inhabit the role of leading people, you have stepped into a place that requires more. It is not about being the ‘top dog,’ it’s about being the kind...
read moreOver the years, business has been fervently looking for ways to control and reduce costs. There’s BPR, JIT, TQM, BPM, BPMN, BMM and more. All essentially systems designed to monitor, maintain, or reduce costs. Here’s what I find fascinating: amidst all of this focus on reduction there is little focus placed on amplifying and expanding the value of the company’s number one asset—the people that work there. The paradigm of ‘cost containment and reduction’ largely captures most of the attention. Here’s the thing, the number one asset of most organizations—the people—lies largely untapped. There’s that asset, showing up everyday, running at levels oftentimes well below potential. If a piece of equipment demonstrated similar efficiencies, the mechanics would be swarming. Yet, with people, it seems leadership is confounded as to how to enhance this vital asset. Simply stumped. In many ways, it’s not surprising. When it comes to working with people, the modus operandi has largely been ‘management’ oriented. A process which is in need of a significant refresh and quite possibly, a total...
read moreRecently, I watched and shared a video featuring Life is Good cofounder, Bert Jacobs. If you’re not familiar with the company, he and his brother created this impressive business based primarily on selling tee shirts with simple messages and artwork. From the very first moment I saw their tee shirts hanging in a sports store I was smitten. The message “Life is Good” felt like a welcome reminder and healthy balancing agent. Their slogan got me thinking about the idea of not only “life” being good, but also of “work” being good. These two guys had obviously found a way to create a revenue-generating enterprise based on passion, fun, heart and contribution. A company that seemed to be about work and not struggle. They were clear about what they wanted, aware of their abilities, open to receiving input and guidance from others and intent on enjoying the ride. In addition, they had a larger goal than personal gain alone—the company’s gain was to be shared and extended outward. Now, there are business folks...
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