Timeout for Leadership: Your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #1

 “A snowball effect”

I am sure you that you have either heard of or used this expression.  It refers to an event that gains momentum.  It is like that snowball that begins on top of the hill, very small and stationary and as it travels down the hill it builds momentum and grows in size and velocity.  The snowball becomes bigger and bigger and moves faster and faster.

The snowball effect can be positive or negative for your organization. It is great when you start that important initiative and everyone seems to jump on board.  This feeling is both energizing and empowering.  When it is something that is negative the feeling can be both terrifying and nauseating.  You have probably experienced both positive and negative outcomes of the snowball effect.

As I watch a football or a basketball game on television and I see a point in the game where nothing can go right for a team and I know the coach has done everything possible to stop the onslaught, I know that the snowball has become too big and is moving too fast to stop.  The game is lost.  This too can happen to your important initiative.

Today’s leadership tip is not entirely about the “Big Mo”.  I have written about momentum in the past. Today, I want you to think about the person who in your organization that makes the snowball and gives it that little push to get it started down the hill.  This person is rarely, if ever, making a positive snowball.  And as you stand at the bottom of the hill and look up, that person is long gone.

Some people are masterful snowball makers.  They have this down to a science.  Once you identify this person (or these people), I think it is essential that you work to isolate them and disempower them.  You must be aware of who they are and how they operate. And as you chip away at their power base, you may end up experiencing more  positive and energizing “snowballs”.  Good luck!