IN THE ROOM #18 – Why some people are ready and others aren't.

Momentum, in physics, is mass multiplied by velocity.

Mass is what you've built. Experience, skill, credibility, relationships. Velocity is where you're heading. It’s your curiosity, your energy and the speed at which you're learning and growing.

I think about this a lot when I'm facilitating.

In almost every workshop, there are people at the front of the room in every sense — leaning in, connecting ideas, ready to apply what they're hearing. And there are others who are present in body but somewhere else entirely.

It's easy to read that as motivation. Or attitude. Or interest in the topic.

But often it's momentum — or the absence of it.

The person who's disengaged may have significant mass. They may have years of experience and deep expertise, but very little velocity right now. No clear direction. Depleted energy. Work that stopped feeling connected to something worth moving toward.

The person who's locked in might be early career with limited experience, but their velocity is extraordinary — curious, driven, absorbing everything.

Buckingham and Goodall argue we should stop asking "does this person have potential?" and start asking "how much momentum do they have?" Potential is a prediction. Momentum is visible today.

The honest question: when you look at your team, who has momentum — and what's driving it or stalling it?

Comment "Room" if this reframed how you see someone on your team.