The other night, I played Call of Duty—Black Ops with my son on his new Xbox 360 (with Kinect!). It's an amazing system — and it's quite entertaining. Unfortunately, I played it all wrong — or at least that's what my son told me (vociferously). I either camped out in one spot and picked everyone off like a sniper, or I ran blindly into the fray as fast as I could shooting everyone in sight. As I was reprimanded by my son, the 'right' way to play is to move slowly and shoot strategically at your enemies. I disagree ;)

What if we migrate this idea into business? There is a theory of moving slowly and acting strategically to hit your deadlines and vanquish your obstacles.

Have you ever started to pick up significant momentum during a project, moving faster and faster, leaving everyone behind? Where your team all aligned behind you like a Lionel train set all chugging faster and faster, and no one dared to get in your way? It's call MOJO.

I see this happen often with executives and businesspeople who have a clear vision of purpose. No one, and I mean no one, will get in their way. They drive forward and make things happen when they want them to happen. Even if the 'human obstacles' complain to upper management, no one wants to get in the way of this speeding train.

You need a few things for Mojo to occur:

A crystal-clear vision - all mapped out with alternate directions.
Quick thinking - you must think 3-4 steps ahead of everyone else.
A good lay of the land - anticipate all the obstacles that might come from other departments or people.
Firm foundation of support - a few superiors, peers, and subordinates who believe you can do it.
Energy - the ability to quickly pick oneself off the ground, dust yourself off, and start running.
Enthusiasm - it's infectious - you need to convert lots of friends, admirers, and help from high places along the way.

I've seen (and had) this Mojo many times in my career. It's beautiful to watch everyone scurry out of the way (but take notice) of a fellow colleague driving on the corporate Autobahn at 180 mph.

Have you ever accelerated past the speed of light at work? What happened? What surprised you?