There is a concept in judo and other martial arts that applies to “taking down” an opponent by creating forward pressure to unbalance them so they can be taken down. This idea of forward pressure, when applied to business, also creates momentum that puts you in a forward stance and makes it difficult for you to be thrown off when meeting similar resistance.
You can apply this to several aspects of your business:
• Uncompleted tasks that need to get done – make a list and give it attention every day. Make a game out of crossing things off until the list is empty; then start a new list.
• Relationships that have gone a bit stale – make a list of the people that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Drop them an email or a text to let them know you’re thinking about them, and then follow up with the ones that respond. You never know what opportunities they may have for you.
• Initiatives that lost momentum – throw all the old ideas up on a white board and remember why you had the thought in the first place. Share your list with your team members and see what kind of fresh ideas come up.
• Customers you haven’t talked to for a while – start a drop marketing campaign that reminds them what you do and what’s new.
• Business ideas left in the parking lot during your last whiteboard session – pick one a week and move it along. Delegate follow-up to other people in your organization and agree to get together once a month to review people’s ideas on them. Prioritize and move one or two ideas further along.
These things don’t need a big push to get moving if you continue to apply constant forward pressure. For sure, they won’t move forward without some sort of effort.
