Don't Coast on Your Momentum

Most leaders know how to fight through a crisis. Almost nobody's ready for the moment things start working. That's where Jonathan finds himself. Five years into running the Seymour Center, the survival years behind him. Funding's solid. The team's humming. He walks the halls, thinks "we're good," and tells me that stability feels strange. Almost uncomfortable. Like a problem he doesn't have the muscle for yet. I get it. The instinct, once you've arrived, is to protect what's working. Slip into business-as-usual mode. Play the safe, incremental game. But here's what I keep seeing after 15 years: that's exactly how good organizations stall out. The bold, experimental swings are what built the momentum in the first place, and they're the first thing leaders quietly retire the moment things feel stable. So the real discipline is refusing to coast. Building from a place of stability instead of scarcity, while you still have the calm to think clearly. The question I'd put to any leader who's finally hit their stride: are you using this moment to make your boldest move yet, or just trying to hold onto the one you already made? Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Momentum is a different kind of problem 10:45 Three viable paths, one hard choice 19:05 Build from stability, not scarcity 20:10 The trap of business as usual 23:05 Owning your wins in front of funders 29:10 What got you here won't get you there Notable Quotes: Jonathan Hicken [00:28:55]: "Keep the foot on the gas, and lean into what I know has worked — which has been big, creative, different, bold swings." Eric Ressler [00:20:35]: "The trap would be, okay, it's working now, we just move into business-as-usual mode. That's how orgs stall out a lot of times." Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday. #nonprofitstrategy #nonprofitleadership #socialimpact #businessmomentum