The New Science of Momentum: How the Best Coaches and Leaders Build a Fire from a Single Spark
Don Yaeger and Bernard B. Banks with Karen Cypher
HarperCollins Leadership (May 2025)

How does a team turn a moment into momentum?

In order to answer that question, Don Yaeger and Bernard B. Banks — with the assistance of Karen Cypher — conducted “hundreds of interviews and checked out thousands of surveys of world-renowned experts, championship coaches, military leaders, political campaign strategists, and corporate leaders conducted over the past few years led us to the words you hold today.

“One thing became clear: Momentum is real to those who we sought to learn from. How to prepare for, manipulate, extend, or reverse it became our assignment. This book will provide you with a model to do exactly that.”

As I began to read this book, I was again reminded of Warren Buffett who often uses the analogy of a snowball to describe compound interest. He suggests that the key to successful investing is to find a “very long hill” (time) and start with a “very small snowball” (initial investment). This is an excellent example of positive momentum.

I commend Don Yaeger and Bernard B. Banks on the quality and practicality of specific suggestions with regard to the do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when attempting to “build a fire from a single spark.” For example, David Petaeus’s “Four Tasks of Strategic Leaders” (Pages 55-60):

1. Get the Big Ideas Right
2. Communicate the Big Ideas: No Spin.
3. Lead Implementation and Train for Excellence
4. Collect Data and Refine Through Feedback

Gallup’s “Factors That Drive Agility” (Pages 73-74)

1. Cooperation
2. Seed of decision-making
3. Trial tolerance
4. Empowerment
5. Technology adoption
6. Simplicity
7. Knowledge sharing
8. Innovation focus

Edgar Schein’s “Steps to Take” by leaders to manage and transform workplace culture effectively: (Pages 74-75)

o Assessment
o Alignment
o Communication
o Role modeling
o Reinforcement
o Evolution

Marco Iacoboni on benefits of effective use of mirror neurons re sustaining organization momentum (Pages 196-197)

o Role modeling by leaders
o Emotional contagion
o Shared goals and vision
o Coordination of efforts

Here is the co-authors’ key definition: “Momentum is a synergistic force that influences the progress, resilience, and focus of a team; and its impact on the mindset of a team — positively or negatively — can be manipulated and extended.”

Whatever their size and nature may be, all organizations need effective leadership at all levels and in all areas of operation throughout the given enterprise.  They are essential to sustaining positive momentum as well as to reversing (or at least diminishing) negative momentum.

I agree with the co-authors: There are no insignificant moments or — more to the point — no insignificant people but, yes, some are more significant than others. An interception or blocked punt can change the momentum of a Super Bowl Game as can walking in a run with the bases load in the seventh game of a World Series. The same is true of always “going the extra mile” for each customer whenever there is a chance to do so.

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Here are two suggestions while you are reading The New Science of Momentum: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to any material that explains HOW to accomplish an objective, and, to the initiatives recommended in the “Leader Actions” section at the conclusion of Chapters 4-12.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.