Don’t Slow the Mo in Slow Seasons
“Mo” is a common nickname for momentum, and anyone who has led a team knows how difficult it can be to regain once it disappears. This is especially true during slower seasons, when fewer deadlines and lighter calendars can make it tempting to ease off the gas a little too much.
When I worked at The Ford Plantation 18 years ago, summer was quiet. Many members were away, events slowed down, and everyone took some well-earned vacation.
But the leaders in every department did not treat summer as permission to turn on an out-of-office message in May and reappear around Labor Day.
Golf Course Maintenance handled extensive aeration, drainage, landscaping, and course-improvement work without having to dodge quite as many golf carts.
Food & Beverage planned the upcoming season’s signature events, developed menus, evaluated vendors, and worked through the countless details required to make an evening look effortless.
Accounting reviewed budgets, analyzed expenses, and prepared financial projections. It may not have been as glamorous as planning a gala, but someone had to determine whether we could afford the gala.
As director of communication, I worked with F&B to create promotional plans for fall events, began developing the agenda for our October Annual Meeting, and updated our editorial calendar.
The pace was slower, but the work still mattered, and leaders throughout the organization knew that. Slow periods still require leadership. When urgency fades, leaders must help their teams stay focused. Here are some ideas of how to do this.
Set short-term goals. Smaller targets give people something specific to accomplish and prevent “I’ll get to it this summer” from quietly becoming “perhaps next summer.”
Invest in development. Use quieter periods for training, cross-department collaboration, process improvements, and projects that are repeatedly postponed when everyone is busy putting out fires.
Reinforce purpose. Help people see how today’s behind-the-scenes work will improve the experience for customers, members, or colleagues later.
Don’t slow the mo and allow slower seasons to become stalled seasons.