Overcoming Inertia: Need a jump start?

Posted: May 6, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

I think locomotives are fascinating: Here are one or two engines pulling a string of heavy cars seemingly a mile long. (I’ve never measured it). I enjoy watching a train begin to move.  It is a great example of overcoming inertia.

In leadership and building teams, it is also important to overcome inertia and build momentum. The leaders that succeed in this area are good at putting “wins on the board” quickly.

When Rudy Giuliani became mayor of New York City in the early ’90’s,  he had to deal with a city that was in poor financial shape, and in need of change. He told his staff, “We need to get some easy, visible wins on the board so that everyone can see and feel that we are making progress.” The first win he chose was getting rid of the “squeegee guys” The squeegee guys were all over the place in the city, and they were pests. They would come up to your car with a dirty rag and worn out squeegee and wash your windows. After doing so, they expected a gratuity. If they didn’t get one, they might kick your car, and say something nasty.

The mayor directed the police department to arrest each squeegee man for jaywalking. They did. Some of them had criminal records and outstanding warrants. There were only 80 of them, and Giuliani got rid of them all. He got a very visible “win” on the board. It was noticed and the citizens appreciated it.

Once the squeegee guy project was complete, he went on to a more challenging and visible win. His plan worked. Tourism went up, and taxes went down. It was a better place to live.

If you are struggling to get momentum on a project or task, and you just can’t seem to get going, start with some “wins on the board”. If you are writing a book, write the outline, if you are a sports team, work on the most important thing you need to work on, and make the progress visible. Like the locomotive, you will soon be moving swiftly down the tracks. No one tries to stop a locomotive!