The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Your Successes
Hi, everyone,
Did you know that 79% of US employees who leave their job do so because of feeling under-appreciated? After working with organizations around the world, one of the most powerful things I’ve seen positively transform company culture is learning to celebrate successes, both big and small. Today, we’re talking about the power of recognition during re-entry, as well as some celebratory practices to lift your team’s spirit asap!
THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP
Article (4 minutes)
To solve big problems, look for small wins
According to this Harvard Business Review article, celebrating small wins is nothing new. Most notably, a decade ago, in the influential book The Progress Principle, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer showed how small wins could “ignite joy, engagement, and creativity at work.” They went on to explain, “even events that people thought were unimportant had powerful effects on inner work life.” While it’s always been important to celebrate wins, this practice will become especially critical during re-entry. Why? Because stopping to savor the gradual, quietly persistent wins of your team will help you collectively navigate this transitional period with more joy, creativity, and engagement. As leaders, while it might feel tempting to focus on the big, dramatic demands of reinvention you’re feeling tasked with at the moment, getting really clear on what’s working well (no matter how small) will be the first step in doubling down on those lessons and beginning to incorporate them into the fabric of your new normal.
THE WEEKLY FLOURISH
Need a few ideas on how to start celebrating your wins? Here’s a few of our favorite celebratory practices:
Broadcast happiness - Yup. You heard us. Shout it from the rooftops! This can look like suggesting a “wins” channel inside your team Slack chat, texting your best friend a win from your day, or sending an email blast about your colleague’s win. The key here is finding a way to spread joy that feels authentic to you.
Repeat your celebratory affirmations - Some of my faves are “I am smart. I have good ideas. I am capable of profound contributions. I am worth the effort. I am attracting my dream future.” Try one (or all!) of these out for the week and see how winning you begin to feel.
Capture one good thing - If you've been hanging out at Leadology for a while, you know we LOVE a Good Things Jar for leveling up our gratitude practice, savoring our successes, and for simply noticing the good in our lives. Write down your one good thing, throw it in your fave jar and watch the good things quickly pile up.
Take a gratitude pause - Celebrate your wins by taking a real pause. For me, this looks like shutting off my laptop and devices and going for a long walk in order to quiet the internal to-do list chatter. While it might feel unnatural at first, these pauses can deepen your awareness around positive lessons learned as well as help you be more strategic in your next move.
Make time for celebration - Think about this for a second….when you have to have a negative feedback conversation, it's a whole hour blocked on your calendar for a serious talk. Why not flip this and give the celebration maximum air time instead? Taking time to reflect on what’s working is just as important as acknowledging what needs to be improved. Not to mention, this celebratory time will provide valuable insights for you and your teammate.
GREATNESS TAKES GUIDANCE
We created our group coaching program Activate as a place for managers to share their wins (and challenges!) during the re-entry process and beyond. Inside this program you’ll learn the tools to help create an open and honest culture where people feel safe to luxuriate in their success and voice their concerns.
Finally, what are you celebrating today? Write back and let us know!
To little successes that lead to big results!
—Carrie & Team Leadology
