Those who know me well know I like to do things outside. I enjoy nature and taking on challenges, but also embrace the journey and the opportunity to celebrate the successes big and small that lead to the overall accomplishment. As I pondered this passion, I considered what this means for business and all those who make an organization’s accomplishments possible.
The other day, I found myself in a conversation with Steve Smart about this very subject. As I shared my thoughts, he mentioned that over the course of his career working with business leaders, he has noticed how many of those leaders struggle finding the time to celebrate, both with individual employees on their personal accomplishments, or with a team on business successes. Steve compared it to summiting a mountain and then not taking the time to enjoy the view because the focus immediately shifts to conquering the next mountain. The celebration could just be just a few minutes or a big deal. The point is: take the time to celebrate.
My personal mantra for 2016 is positive energy attracts positive energy. What I have found is that the most successful leaders are those who give off positive energy and feed off the positive energy of others. Much of this starts with celebrating even the smallest of victories. It’s energizing, and creates a sense of appreciation and vision for what’s possible.
The even stronger ones are the ones that can take the negative or a tough challenge and turn that into motivation for something bigger and better. I have had the opportunity to work with some of those leaders. The chatter and naysayers rarely affect them. They have an ability to turn anxiety into a mantra.
So what are some ways that you celebrate accomplishment? Often times it is actually just taking the time to recognize what you’ve done discussing how it felt to accomplish it. Something that seems like an everyday part of your job could actually be a major accomplishment if you slow down and recognize it. At Kolbeco, we take the first 10 minutes of our weekly staff meeting to recognize those accomplishments. We call them our “shining moments,” and they include everything from appreciating a team member for lending a hand or going above and beyond to produce excellent work, to completing major project or overcoming a challenge.
Nothing is too small or too big to be a shining moment, and the key is that we celebrate accomplishments, as well as each other and what we all contribute. Sometimes we even celebrate mistakes, offering what we’ve learned through the process. That allows people in your organization to be true leaders as well. Mistakes are often what lead to greatness. And that’s something to celebrate.
Photo Credit: Derek Cisler – My Brother-in-Law
