Tools for Gaining a Positive Momentum When Reaching Inflection Points
A Crisis is a point on the timeline where a sequence of events are happening not as we expected them to happen, and it can feel sucks, but it can actually be a good thing. Crises are the inflection points that define a function in time. They usually happened after a trend that was not treated appropriately. This is the point where things become unstable - by definition. The function is changing and at this point, there is enough emotional mass, so if we set the velocity in the right direction, skilled leaders can build a positive momentum and turn crises into opportunities.
Tennis is one of the best examples for a sports game where everything is based on momentum. You can see the beauty of momentum when players comeback from unbelievable situations. In Basketball, one player can unite the team and do an act that brings back momentum or kill the momentum. Players skills which are based on years of practice can get amplified or diminished only by the force of the momentum. So, the first tool is to regain motivation, unite the team, see the opportunities and take things into perspective.
The next tool is to take actions and execute them. The group must have people that are not afraid to take ownership and act as decision makers, all the way, for good or bad. There is a great post on the difference between action and motion: “Motion is when you’re busy doing something, but that task will never produce an outcome by itself. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will get you a result”, read more on The Mistake Smart People Make: Being In Motion vs. Taking Action
Put trust in people, build (or hire) people that can act as decision makers, educating for ownership should be before the crisis, not during a crisis. But sometimes, the crisis can unveil leaders and expose how great they are. Either way, it is always better to do the needed preparation before the next inflection point. The next inflection point doesn’t have to be a crisis, but it can be also a miss / no-miss opportunity for accelerating growth.
Finally, when things starting to turn positive, work even more on clarity, set goals, build levers and work both on tactics and strategy to maximize the gain.