Major League Baseball has started. And with it, a whole new slate of metaphors to apply to work and life.
Today, I’ll apply some baseball to help explain the critical phenomenon of momentum starting with the bunt.
A bunt is a way to force a hit. A way to try to take control of the situation. A way to start some momentum.
Imagine you’re in a game. Of the 9 innings you play, you’re in the 8th with the score tied — 0-0.
You need to get out of here with a win. (Heck, it’s Cleveland in July, you really need to get out of there!)
So what’s a manager to do?
You call for a bunt.
Your player enters the Batter’s Box and assumes the bunt stance, the Pitcher pitches and voila…contact! A dribbler up the Third Base side. That lil’ shot is quite an inconvenience for the catcher who must throw off his mask, run to the ball, and try to make the throw to First.
“Safe!”
Your runner is on.
Next batter up.
Pitcher is agitated. He sets. Winds up…
And boom! Your runner takes off and steals Second!
Now you have a runner in scoring position. Now you have a chance to bring him home, score a run and subsequently have enough to hold on and win.
This, dear reader, is momentum.
Now, I purposely wrote this to give you the bunt and the steal.
Momentum, you see, is a one-two punch. You need the first bit to break the inertia. And then you need a second bit to ensure things are in motion.
Sure, the bunt was critical to break through the malaise.
But the steal is what certified the momentum.
Momentum, you see, is a one-two punch.
You need the first bit to break the inertia. And then you need a second bit to ensure things are in motion.
It’s like that song in the Christmas movie The Year Without a Santa Claus. In the stop-motion classic, the character Winter Warlock teaches Santa Claus how to walk again after ol’ Kris Kringle recovers from a nasty fall. The Warlock sings, “…Put one foot in front of the other…and soon you’ll be walking out the door!”
Step one is literally step one — but then you also need a step two. One step in front of the other to create momentum.
You might be stuck now. And I encourage you to take any first step: write the email or hire the person or take the walk with the intent to jog soon.
But as you take step one, look for step two.
What can you do next?
It’s a bunt and a steal.
It’s chess. Not checkers.
It’s the secret to making momentum.
Rob Schwartz is the Chair of the TBWA New York Group and an executive coach who channels his creativity, experience and wisdom into helping others get where they want to be. This was originally posted on his Substack, RobSchwartzHelps, where he covers work, life, and creativity.
Photo by Colynary Media on Unsplash.