Series - Becoming a better leader by utilizing coaching skills – Part 7 Celebrating

Frequently we move from one task to another without taking a moment to reflect on major milestones or goals we have accomplished. The downside of this behavior is we are shortchanging ourselves from recognizing our abilities to follow through on commitments and reach our goals. Coaches and leaders alike know the power to stop and celebrate even after small wins. 

Most people wouldn’t think of celebrating as a skill to work on, yet, when we do, we are honoring someone’s accomplishment. We celebrate big life and career events such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, promotions, or retirement, but miss out on celebrating the progress we made, how far we have come, staying true to our values, etc. What if I told you that celebrating small wins along the way will increase motivation, productivity, and engagement among your employees? How willing would you be to give it a try?

When we celebrate, our brain releases feel-good hormones which boost our mood and motivation; feelings we crave and want to experience repeatedly. Therefore, it only makes sense for a coach or leader to encourage celebrating frequently when small goals are reached. 

Now, this does not mean getting out the champagne and confetti gun for every small win. Praising a team member publicly can be considered a celebration. The important thing is that when celebrating we do pause for a moment and reflect and acknowledge positive behaviors. That can sound something like this:

• “Nice job leading the conversation with our vendor in the last meeting. You really communicated our needs very well and got us a step closer to signing a contract with them that allows all of us to benefit!”
• “Well done. You followed through on your commitments, which kept the project plan on track!”
• “I am so proud of you for tackling this task. I know you had major hesitations as it was out of your comfort zone but look at how far you have come.”

There is much evidence that celebrating small wins positively impacts behavior and culture at work. So, don’t miss out on adding “celebrating the small wins” as a new tool in your leadership bag.

If you need help reach out to me at angela@belladonnacareercoach.com. I am happy to model celebrating every day of our lives!