Momentum is Trust in Motion

Momentum is one of the most underestimated forces in leadership and transformation. It is often confused with urgency or speed, but the two are not the same. Urgency can feel frantic and unsustainable. Momentum, when built correctly, feels steady, grounded, and almost inevitable.

John C. Maxwell refers to this as The Law of the Big Mo in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. His point is simple but profound: when momentum is present, progress feels natural. When it is absent, even the right decisions feel heavy and exhausting.

What is rarely discussed is how closely momentum is tied to trust.

Teams do not build trust based on vision statements or inspirational language alone. They build trust by watching what happens after decisions are made. Do things move forward, or do they stall? Are commitments followed by action, or do they quietly dissolve into the background? Over time, teams learn the answer, and that answer shapes how much faith they place in leadership.

Momentum is how trust becomes tangible.

When momentum exists, teams experience clarity. They see progress, even if it is incremental. They stop waiting for proof that something is real because the motion itself becomes the proof. Meetings lead somewhere. Priorities hold. Follow-through becomes predictable. That predictability lowers anxiety and increases confidence.

Without momentum, the opposite happens. Even well-intended leaders inadvertently create doubt. Not because they lack integrity, but because stalled movement sends an unspoken signal that decisions may not land or that change may not stick. Teams begin to hedge, protect themselves, and disengage emotionally. The cost of that hesitation is far greater than most organizations realize.

Momentum is built in small, disciplined ways.

It is not created through grand gestures or dramatic announcements. It is built by closing loops instead of leaving them open. By making decisions when there is enough information, not perfect information. By establishing rhythm in how work moves and holding that rhythm steady over time. These actions compound quietly, but their impact is profound.

Momentum also changes the emotional climate of teams.

When people see progress, they stop carrying the cognitive and emotional weight of uncertainty. They spend less energy bracing for disappointment and more energy contributing creatively. Psychological safety grows not because leaders promise it, but because movement demonstrates reliability. People become more willing to take risks, offer ideas, and lean in, because they believe the organization is capable of moving forward.

Momentum invites participation.

Leaders do not need to be perfect. They need to stay in motion.

The most trusted leaders I have worked with were not flawless. They adjusted course. They changed their minds when new information emerged. They acknowledged missteps openly. What they did not do was stall. They understood that forward motion, even imperfect, signals belief in the direction and respect for the people doing the work.

Momentum does not require perfection. It requires integrity in execution.

Once momentum is established, it becomes self-reinforcing. Resistance softens. Confidence builds. Trust accelerates. Teams stop asking whether something will happen and start asking what comes next.

That is the real power of the Big Mo. Not speed for its own sake, and not activity without intention, but steady, human-centered movement that tells people, without needing to say it out loud, we are going somewhere together.