Reflecting on influential teachers often brings unexpected insights. Thinking back to my OAC (Grade 13) Physics class with Mr. Stan Wilson, I had a “physics flashback” and was struck by how Newton’s Laws of Motion offer profound lessons for us as leaders and for anyone actively managing the trajectory of their business or career.

Newton’s First Law: The Power of Inertia & Momentum in Your SMB

Newton’s First Law states: “An object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by a force. An object in motion remains in motion, and at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force.”

This directly mirrors the reality in our businesses. Contrary to a passive hope that good things will just happen, a business (or a career, or a project) “at rest”, perhaps comfortable in its current state or even stagnant, will likely remain at rest without a deliberate application of force or action. If your SMB is experiencing regression, the call to action is clear: without applying focused effort, that backward slide will likely continue. Conversely, if your business is moving forward, congratulations! That forward motion tends to persist. However, be aware of the “friction”, market competition, internal inefficiencies, outdated technology, that will continually try to slow your progress unless you remain committed to pushing forward. As a fractional CIO, I often see businesses where legacy systems create significant “friction,” hindering their ability to maintain or accelerate positive momentum.

Newton’s Second Law: Force, Mass, and Accelerating Change

The Second Law of Motion states: “The acceleration of a body is directly proportional to, and in the same direction as, the net force acting on the body, and inversely proportional to its mass.”

This law teaches us how to adjust our business’s trajectory and highlights the impact of the “size” (or mass) of our goals.

1. Net Force for Positive Change: To get things moving in the desired direction (or to counteract that pesky friction), you must create a net positive “force” through your actions and strategic initiatives. This is particularly true when implementing significant changes like a new IT platform or a digital transformation strategy.
2. The “Mass” of Your Goals: If your SMB, perhaps a mid-sized company, aims for a massive transformation (e.g., completely overhauling its core technology infrastructure and business processes within a very short timeframe; an enormous “goal mass”), it will require an equally enormous and sustained application of “force” (resources, budget, leadership focus, team effort) to achieve.

It’s not that huge goals are unachievable, but Newton’s Second Law reminds us that the required force must be proportional to the objective’s scale. Often, breaking down “big hairy audacious goals” (BHAGs) into smaller, more manageable phases or projects reduces the initial “force” needed to get the ball rolling. Once you build momentum with these smaller wins (Newton’s First Law), you can often increase your pace and tackle larger objectives more effectively.

Taking Control of Your Business Trajectory

The path of your SMB is not predetermined; it’s shaped by the strategic forces you choose to apply. Applying these Newtonian principles means:

• Taking deliberate action to overcome inertia and drive towards your vision.
• Sustaining effort to counteract the inevitable friction of a competitive marketplace and internal complexities.
• Realistically assessing the “force” required for your strategic goals (especially large IT investments or transformations) and either committing that force or breaking the goals into more achievable phases.
• Ensuring your “forces” (initiatives, projects, team efforts) are all pointed in the same strategic direction.

What’s Next

By understanding and applying these fundamental principles of motion to your business strategy and IT roadmap, you can maximize your chances for success, build sustainable momentum, and navigate change more effectively – and perhaps make your old physics teacher proud!

Is your SMB struggling with inertia, or finding it difficult to generate the “force” needed for significant strategic change, particularly with technology? If you’re looking for a partner to help you define a clear direction, build momentum, and apply focused effort to your IT initiatives, let’s connect with Succeed Sooner Consulting.