Multiply Your Output: Get the Flywheel Started
Are you paralyzed to the point of inaction by the number of thoughts or ideas you have on a project? Or, have you ever thought that you could not get started until you have the perfect solution already figured out?
Many people are afraid to start in one direction, only to find they need to go in another, so they stand still. “I better stay here for just a little longer while I get this completely resolved in my mind”, might be what they are saying to themselves. Just getting started is 80% of the battle. Something not started, certainly is not done.If we want something different to happen, we have to start somewhere and get things moving. Anything we do begins with this process. It can apply to bigger projects that can seem daunting at the start. But, ask yourself this, “does the project get any less scary, difficult, smaller in scale if you stand around and do nothing?” It is the same project that was there moments ago.How then do we meet this challenge? Jim Collins described the term ‘Flywheel Effect’ in this excerpt of his book Good to Great. It applies to the simplest of things as well as the most difficult. You have to start somewhere and continue to work at it.A flywheel (pictured above) is a huge wheel that takes energy to get it started. It will take continual energy and effort to really get it moving. But, once it is going it begins to deliver significantly more energy than you continue to apply. The flywheel captures all of the energy you put into it, then becomes something far greater in its output than the small pieces added during each step or individual input. Some definitions of a flywheel:
Delivering energy at rates beyond the ability of an energy source. This is achieved by collecting energy in a flywheel over time and then releasing it quickly, at rates that exceed the abilities of the energy source.
And:
A flywheel may also be used to supply intermittent pulses of energy at power levels that exceed the abilities of its energy source.
In the business world and in real life, every small step you take towards a goal adds energy to your flywheel. As you build on your project and add followers, their collective energy gets stored in the wheel and soon it is rolling right along. I am sure you have seen this in effect at some point.Think about a new project or program that was introduced. It started out as an idea. Maybe even an idea that many people did not want to take part in. Change is hard after all and it is pretty ‘easy’ standing right where we are now. But, as you shared ideas, showed examples of what success could look like, people gradually started to contribute. You could feel some momentum building in the idea. More successes began to reveal themselves. People’s attitude began to change and they contributed more and more to the project’s success. Finally, the project was moving on its own. It was ‘in place’ and everyone had accepted it. That is the ‘flywheel’ in action. Patience, perseverance, and grit are all necessary ingredients to make it go.
Effort + Time = Output
What we put into something and the amount of time we dedicate to it will determine its eventual outcome and output. It starts with a first step to begin the process of getting the ‘wheel rolling’. If you are stuck on a project, idea or anything else, resolve to get the first step underway, in any way you can. Don’t let the eventual outcome or future steps get in the way of your first motion. You will begin to immediately feel better about getting to the desired outcome after taking the first step. That gets the wheel rolling and opens the path to moving faster and faster, your flywheel effect in action.What small step will you take right now to get the next big thing moving? Click here or on the comments button above to share your thoughts.