I recently took my daughter and her friend on a skiing trip to Japan. I handled the logistics, booked the hotels, and planned the itinerary, literally driving us up and down the mountains while my passengers came along for the ride, choosing the music, providing the laughs, and handling the directions.
It worked well (I thought so, anyway). Contrast that with past boys' trips, where everyone had different ideas and we were all pushing in different directions. Those trips were still good fun, but far more chaotic. In business, as in life, you need both drivers and passengers. To get momentum you need drivers, but to keep momentum, you need passengers.
Whilst we are seeing some optimism across Australasia now, the last few years have proven that "waiting for things to get better" is a losing strategy. In a market where the "no decision" competitor is more common than ever, the difference between dominating your industry and disappearing into the background often comes down to one thing: momentum. Momentum usually happens when there is clarity, urgency and most importantly people driving results.
I recently listened to a podcast featuring Steve Williams, Tiger Woods’ former caddy, who told a story about the French golfer Jan Van De Velde who was on the verge of winning the British Open (it would have been his first major victory). Because of one poor decision on the last hole, he lost the tournament and never won a major again. Williams noted that if that golfer had a high-quality caddy to help him make the right decision he would never have lost. Van de Velde had the momentum, but he didn’t have the passenger (the right caddy) to provide the discipline to close it out. This again highlights the two types of people we need in any business: Drivers and Passengers.
Drivers are your entrepreneurs and the successful business development managers who are never happy with the status quo and who are always driving performance. They get frustrated with teammates who don’t match their pace and can be difficult to work with, but they are worth their weight in gold. However, you also need passengers. Being a passenger isn't about being passive; it’s about providing structure and disciplines. Once a Driver has gained ground, the passengers, much like your best Account Managers, strengthen that position and ensure the customer experience doesn't fall apart as you scale. While drivers achieve momentum, passengers are the ones who keep it. You can’t get momentum without the drivers, but you are unlikely to keep it without the passengers.
Gaining momentum requires a huge focus on activity and speed of decision making, because these days, fast beats big. A business that executes in days has a massive advantage over one that moves through a committee for months. That speed often creates small wins that can turn into big results. On the other hand, losing momentum can happen quietly that begins with complacency and the dangerous belief that today’s success earns you the right to slow down. Another way to slow down is to start putting Passengers into Driver roles. We see that all the time.
In a market that is particularly tough, momentum is the one thing that keeps you ahead of the game. Look at your team today and ask, do you have the right mix of drivers and passengers? The answer will often tell you exactly where your business is headed. After two years of poor performance, it is now time to gain momentum and that starts with driving results and backing it up with good execution.