Leaders in Motion Stay in Motion for Success - 4 Ways You Can be a Leader in Motion
Inertia (noun in·er·tia i-ˈnər-shə, -shē-ə) a : a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force
If you are not moving, you are standing still. And standing still means no progress can be made. Inertia - bodies in motion tend to stay in motion and bodies at rest tend to stay at rest until acted upon by something external. Our bodies are a literal example. If we do not put ourselves in motion, we will stay still. This what I call Personal Inertia. If we are to move forward, we must get that motion started. If at rest, you will remain so until YOU make the decision to create movement.How do we get ourselves moving? And, how do we know which direction we need to go? Here are a few starting points for those very questions.
Build Routines
Having a routine that you can follow as soon as your alarm goes off each morning is one of the best ways you will get yourself moving. You can refine this over time but start with the simple motions of what you know you need to do. Identify the time you want to get up each day. I recommend that you make that the same time every day. Capture the first few motions you always take, then identify what the next things you will do. This will give you a target to achieve and will help you get moving on your day.
Review your goals
Make time to review your goals at least once every week. Build your actions into your weekly plan. This is how you will ensure that your motion is in the right direction. By doing this at least once per week, you will ensure you are never far off course. Reviewing your goals weekly keeps you on the path you want to be on.
Inertia not only keeps bodies in motion, they tend to follow the same path until acted upon as well.
Be Aware of External Forces
You need to be on the lookout for potential obstacles or hazards ahead of you. You can continue your motion forward, but if something you don’t see hits you then that will become the external force that changes your direction. That takes you out of control of your movement. While it is impossible to anticipate or see everything approaching you, keeping your head up and looking around will limit those. If you have a firm grasp on where you are heading, even those unforeseen obstacles are temporary detours and not something that knocks you fully off course. Your routines, goals, and daily plan are your road map to stay on the track you are defined yourself or your team.Reflect on your accomplishmentsIt is always a good idea to check the rearview mirror on occasion as well. Make time to look at where your motion has brought you. You can make note of what has worked well and maybe some ideas for where you could have made some minor course corrections. Having a good sense of what got you to where you are will always help to clarify your view ahead. Celebrate your successes. Make time to feel good about where you have come from and reinforce where you are going.The initial motion does not have to be big. It begins the process from which to build on. Don’t convince yourself that the idea of thinking about motion is motion. It is not. Take action with routines, setting goals, and reviewing them. Remain aware of outside forces that may knock you off course and celebrate your successes along the way. Build your momentum and allow your personal inertia to propel you forward.What steps will you take to get your personal inertia underway?Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.