Momentum is hard to resist!
Once I was into
a business argument with a friend, I realized I wasn't sure I agreed with my
own position. But he was arguing so harshly that I found myself taking the
opposite side, intensely supporting ideas I didn't know enough about. And I
admit it was hard to stop.
It is
especially hard to stop when you're invested in being right, when you've spent
time, energy, emotion and sometimes money on your point of view. Sometimes it
might be an argument about which actions to take at which project. Or a
decission about whether ot not to continue to pursee a particular opportunity.
When you have the sense you have made a mistake but you have already pushed so
hard it would be embrassing to back out so how do you backpedal?
I have two
strategies that help me pull back my own momentum both in business and sports life:
Slow Down and Start Over.
1- Slow Down:
As I found on my stationary bike, it is almost impossible to backpedal hard
enough to reverse direction on the spot. It helps to see it as a process.
First, just stop pedaling so hard. Then, as the momentum starts to lose its
force, gently begin to change direction. In a discussion in which you have been
pushing hard and suspect you might be wrong, begin to argue your points less
and listen to the other side more. I experienced that reducing your forward momentum
is the first step to freeing yourself from the beliefs, habits, feelings and
business that may be limiting you.
2- Start Over:
Start over is a mental game. It is obvious that our history and experiences
impact our current decissions. If I hired someone and invested energy, time and
money supporting his success, it would be hard for me to admit he was not
working out. But knowing what I know now, would I hire him? If not, I should
let him go. And start over. Same thing with a sales project I have supported or
a decission I have promoted.
There are numerous ways that may help. I hope my experiences would be a bonus to learn about.
