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Small wins are the stepping stones to larger successes, so why not celebrate them along the way?
As this article from the Harvard Business Review says: “The power of progress is fundamental to human nature...”.
Acknowledging progress or small wins in the workplace can be a powerful tool for long term success.
Work can be difficult—you deserve to give yourself credit for each step in the right direction. You can celebrate by sharing positive news with family and friends, or just by giving yourself a pat on the back—the point is to reflect on your progress.
Putting this in terms many can relate to, let’s think of a goal to lose 10 pounds as an example. Small wins might be as simple as getting yourself to the gym after a long day of work, eating healthy all week, and losing that first pound. These beginning steps can oftentimes be the most difficult part of the whole process so they deserve to be recognized.
Applying this to the workplace will be different for every position.
As a recruiter, our end goal is to place candidates in our clients' open positions. There are many small wins along the way to the end goal of placing an awesome candidate with a great company. For example, speaking with a strong candidate, setting up an interview, or receiving positive feedback from the client. My team discusses our progress on weekly calls and throughout the week during individual interactions. Your coworkers know better than anyone what these successes look like, and the work it takes. Importantly, we celebrate success along the way which, in turn, creates positive momentum.
Celebrating small wins can be applied to both your personal and professional life.
Find what these successes look like for you, your colleagues, friends and family… and take the time to acknowledge them. Celebrating the small wins motivates us to keep moving forward and lessens the blow when outcomes do not work out in our favor.
Today, take a few minutes to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished so far in whatever project or goal you may be working on. It will help you see the progress you’ve made so far and boost your confidence to keep working towards the end goal.
Written by: Emily Onheiser, Senior Search Consultant at Hunter Crown, LLC
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