Why do we only celebrate wins? This question came up while a fellow parent and I watched our daughters run drills during a 2-hour practice, just after a 3-day away tournament. "Did you see our home association posted only the photo of the team winning 1st place?" they asked. I had. How simple would it have been to mention all teams competing, with a shout-out to the winners?
As I pondered this, sitting in the stands with my "Hidden Potential" book, I turned the page and my eyes moved to the illustration below. The strength we often admire is reaching the summit, winning the gold medal, and completing the project. But the strength we should also admire is climbing out of a hole, an underdog's victory, and achieving project milestones.
Our girls have worked hard to improve their skills, both individually and as a team, and it shows. They've built grit, resilience, and unwavering team spirit. Last year, they suffered a blowout loss against the dominant team. This year, against the same team, they were 1.6 seconds away from a win – then tied. Of course, we wanted them to win, but their progress and the fact that they can now hold their own against highly-ranked teams is worth celebrating.
So why am I posting this on LinkedIn? Because as leaders, we have many opportunities to celebrate the small victories along the way. We often wait for the big win, but to sustain high performance and positive team morale, it's important to focus on progress and growth, not just the end result.
#CelebrateProgress #LeadershipLessons #TeamGrowth
Illustrated by Liz Fosslien
Senior Shopify developer with a focus on user experience, performance and accessibility.
1wGood effort Paul Wainwright