Leadership X Teamwork = Momentum
October 16th, 2007 by James SchellmanUnless you been on a trip to the moon for the past month, it is nearly impossible to not know that the Colorado Rockies have been embarking on a magical run at the World Series. And even if you have been traveling to the moon, it would be nearly impossible to not hear the volume of encouragement the fans have been giving them. Colorado has officially renamed October - ROCKTOBER.
Exactly one month ago the Rockies were a mere four (4) games above .500 and found themselves nearly out of contention in the bid for a playoff or Wildcard birth. What the Rockies have accomplished since then is nothing short of miraculous, and I could easily spend the rest of this blog sharing the astronomical stats the Rockies compiled throughout the season, but they actually offer a fantastic model of Leadership X teamwork in motion.
The Rockies no doubt have accomplished remarkable success this season - namely their astonishing run of winning 21 of their last 22 games, but what the Rockies have going for them is nothing more than Classical Mechanics working in their favor.
Like a giant steamroller, the Rockies began to pick up speed as they entered the critical stretch of the season, and have flattened everything and everyone in their path. The key ingredient to the Rockies success has been momentum, which is merely the byproduct of great leadership and teamwork. But what is it that has given the Rockies so much momentum? Simply the perfect execution of the Laws of Motion required to build momentum:
1. Set a Vision - The Rockies established that, the vision, for their season would be set at winning the World Series. But many times, visions at the start of the journey can loom like Mt. Everest, even if you are the Rockies, and require that a series of smaller more attainable goals are set. With the achievement of each smaller goal, the Rockies were able to leapfrog their way to the next goal allowing each small success to build momentum for the next, thereby making each approaching goal easier. Follow one success immediately with another to help build momentum and make the “Vision” attainable.
2. The Buy-In - The vision must be the first principle set in gaining momentum, but next your must have the Buy-In of the whole team. With each teammember focused on the same definite marker the Mass of the vision is set in motion with minimal internal forces affecting its path.
3. The Inner Circle - The team has chemistry, there is no doubt about that, but more than chemistry, each player compliments and makes up for someone else’s weakness. This allows each player to focus on and operate within their Strength Zone and figuratively removes any gaps because each players weakness is accounted for by the efforts of the whole team. The Rockies stand by and define the acronym T.E.A.M - Together Everyone Achieves More. They understand clearly that those closest to you will determine your success.
4. The Law of Timing - Too many people, corporations, and teams attempt to rush their plans before the environment given to aid the plan has had time to set up. Had the Rockies gone 21-1 at the start of the season it would have made for great headlines here in Denver, and amazing highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter, but it would have been ill timed for their run at the Series. When to plant is as important as knowing when to harvest.
5. No Dominating Hero - Many professional sports teams, and corporations for that matter, attempt to build a team around one star player. Clint Hurdle, the Rockies Manger, believed that his team would win through the collective effort of the entire team, not solely on an individual achiever. He chose players that would work together as a team, rather than try to be the hero. The players on the Rockies Roster are not the nations best players, a flaw many analyists saw as a weakness, yet Hurdle saw them for their potential as a team; not their individual potential. His secret is TeamWork.
All of this is merely Newton’s Laws of Motion in action, which provides us with the mathematical equation P=MV. Where P is Momentum, M is Mass and V is Velocity. The higher the Mass and the faster the Velocity the more Momentum that is generated. By using the Principles of Momentum identified in this blog, you can determine the Mass of the equation based off the size of your Vision, and you can determine the Velocity by the execution of the remaining four principles. Thus you now can build momentum for yourself or your business.
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I am writing to help leaders find their voice of influence. Plus, I like to inspire others to be their best. 




Go Rockies!
Posted by: Jackson | October 18th, 2007 at 4:21 amIt is hard to wrap your hands around the idea that just by changing your thoughts you can alter your surroundings. But when nothing is going right, there is no reason not to give it a try, Right? So I am going to see what happens when I use only positive thoughts for one month. Wish me luck.
Posted by: Natalie | October 18th, 2007 at 10:08 amI like what you have to say here. it is also important to remember to stay focused because outside distractions will try to slow you down.
Posted by: Michael | October 18th, 2007 at 10:12 amIsn’t it amazing how easy things feel when you have momentum on your side and how hard they feel when you are stale? I always try to keep my momentum up, especially when it comes to finding new clients, so that my morale and confidence stays up as well. Running my own business is hard, and I find momentum helps keep me going.
Posted by: T. Campbell | October 18th, 2007 at 10:31 amMomentum is Great! I try to keep the momentum flowing at my office with my employees to make sure that we produce the best product for our customers. I like the way you laid it out and the order, in order to have the best impact. Good Post.
Posted by: Jayson | October 19th, 2007 at 8:21 amI think one of the best points you have is the idea of the Dominating Hero. I think too many teams, business or athletic, attempt to have one person who is the hero. But, take the Rockies for example, when you do not have one single hero you never know where the striking blow will come from. Just look at all the games they won, you never knew who was going to be the hero because any one of them could have been him. Good Points.
Posted by: Mario W. | October 23rd, 2007 at 4:17 am-Mario