Sandy River – New Location after Washout
Early last year I experienced a great example of the power that momentum can produce. Unusually warm temperatures and heavy rains on Mt. Hood in Oregon produced runoff that forced the Sandy River over it’s banks washing out a road that had previously withstood numerous high-water events.
Witnessing the damage, I could only imagine the increasing momentum as each swollen tributary dumped into it creating a raging river that wiped out everything in it’s path.
John Maxwell in his The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership states that
“Many times momentum is the only thing that makes the difference between losing and winning.”
Several homes, roadways and thousands of trees lost to momentum that day and hundreds of homeowners were stranded when a 600′ section of the only road in or out was washed away.
The construction company I work for was called in to make the repairs, relocate the river and get the road opened up. As you can see in the picture above, there was still momentum that would have to be dealt with to accomplish the difficult task.
Maxwell gives us 7 Truths about Momentum:
- 1. Momentum Is The Great Exaggerator
- 2. Momentum Makes Leaders Look Better Than They Are
- 3. Momentum Helps Followers Perform Better Than They Are
- 4. Momentum Is Easier To Steer Than To Start
- 5. Momentum Is The Most Powerful Change Agent
- 6. Momentum Is The Leader’s Responsibility
- 7. Momentum Begins Inside The Leader
I saw many of these truths demonstrated up on that mountain, not only in the devastation that took place, but in the days following the event when the repairs and restoration took place. In less than 24 hours we reconstructed the original channel of the river and then redirected the flow back in the location it had originally been. It only took about 30 minutes for the river to carve it’s way back to it’s original location (see picture) allowing us to start the road reconstruction.
The River Back Into It’s Original Channel
The same momentum that resulted in the river jumping it’s banks was now used to put it back where it had been. The difference – this time we were controlling the direction of the momentum. That example is a lot like leadership. When we control the power of momentum and steer it in the direction desired we can control the direction of the flow and achieve our desired results.
We were later recognized by Clackamas County for our commitment in completing the work under very difficult conditions and more importantly for the leadership demonstrated by many of our team members. There were many sacrifices made by our crews to do what needed to be done. In my opinion, it was leadership that kept our momentum flowing seven days a week, twelve hours a day until we were done.
My takeaway – as leaders, we need to stay in front of the issues and problems that we deal with every day and build momentum steering them in a productive direction. The minute we fall behind, we find ourselves running away to keep from getting run over.
Are you building momentum in your business or personal life or simply trying to stay out of the way? Your answer may tell you the direction you are headed.
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 8/29/12 photos by author
