Insight       13 January 2025

New Momentum

Something fascinating about organisational performance is that is not the big strategies or new technologies that often drive sustained performance - it's the purposeful progress. 

Understanding Momentum

When people feel they're moving forward doing meaningful work, that is making a personal and broader impact, engagement and performance naturally follows. 
Let me share a recent example. A professional services firm I worked with transformed their approach to progress by implementing what we called 'Progress Scans' in their weekly meetings. Instead of just reviewing KPI, tasks and deadlines, teams began sharing meaningful steps forward and how these connected to organisational and individual goals and purpose.  

Understanding Momentum

When people feel they're moving forward doing meaningful work, that is making a personal and broader impact, engagement and performance naturally follows. 
Let me share a recent example. A professional services firm I worked with transformed their approach to progress by implementing what we called 'Progress Scans' in their weekly meetings. Instead of just reviewing KPI, tasks and deadlines, teams began sharing meaningful steps forward and how these connected to organisational and individual goals and purpose.  

Key to Building Momentum

The key is making shared progress visible and connecting it to collective and individual purpose. Another CEO we work with describes it as, "When we started working with weekly team progress markers, our annual goals suddenly felt more achievable and our purpose clearer. It wasn't that the goals or purpose changed significantly - our team's ownership, engagement, and belief in their importance and ability to shape and reach them did." 
Building momentum includes creating a supportive environment where progress is possible, visible, and celebrated every day. This includes removing obstacles (including cultural) before they become roadblocks and recognising progress at every level. 
This can be achieved by creating a 'Progress Architecture' - a framework that connects daily progress to organisational and individual purpose. This makes progress (and challenges) visible throughout the organisation whilst enabling integration and achievement individual aims. 

Key to Building Momentum

The key is making shared progress visible and connecting it to collective and individual purpose. Another CEO we work with describes it as, "When we started working with weekly team progress markers, our annual goals suddenly felt more achievable and our purpose clearer. It wasn't that the goals or purpose changed significantly - our team's ownership, engagement, and belief in their importance and ability to shape and reach them did." 
Building momentum includes creating a supportive environment where progress is possible, visible, and celebrated every day. This includes removing obstacles (including cultural) before they become roadblocks and recognising progress at every level. 
This can be achieved by creating a 'Progress Architecture' - a framework that connects daily progress to organisational and individual purpose. This makes progress (and challenges) visible throughout the organisation whilst enabling integration and achievement individual aims. 

Questions to Ask

As you build new momentum, consider these questions: 
  • How are you making purpose and progress visible in your organisation? 
  • Are your goals structured to create regular wins? 
  • Does your team understand why progress and purpose matters? 
  • How are you systematically removing barriers to daily progress? 
  • Do you understand each individuals aims and aspirations? 
  • Are you helping each individual achieve their aims and aspirations?
  • Is your progress architecture operating effectively?
Remember, momentum isn't about speed - it's about deep alignment of shared motivations and the ability to come together to realise these. 

Questions to Ask

As you build new momentum, consider these questions: 
  • How are you making purpose and progress visible in your organisation?
  • Are your goals structured to create regular wins?
  • Does your team understand why progress and purpose matters?
  • How are you systematically removing barriers to daily progress? 
  • Do you understand each individuals aims and aspirations? 
  • Are you helping each individual achieve their aims and aspirations?
  • Is your progress architecture operating effectively?
Remember, momentum isn't about speed - it's about deep alignment of shared motivations and the ability to come together to realise these. 

Further Reading