March Madness is here! We are in the middle of the NCAA basketball tournament and there is so much attention on who will win and move to the next level. It’s exciting to watch your team to see if they will claim victory and bragging rights within the league.
As teams compete each year, we are led to believe that winning only counts when you reach the finish and receive the trophy. This makes sense on the surface, but does that mean that all the teams who competed and worked so hard were not successful at all? Viewing success as an all or nothing concept sets everyone except that one team up for failure. Instead, what would happen if we saw winning as doing the important work that will lead us closer to the finish line?
For example, when you take classes to learn how to be more effective, or get up early to exercise, or develop a new approach to your work, those are all winning steps forward. Unfortunately, we don’t tend to celebrate those steps and consequently we give up even when we are improving. We wait until we win an award or gain recognition before celebrating.
Those who are working hard, stretching themselves, and striving to learn should be celebrated. We don’t have to do huge things, but even something as simple as a thank you note can make such a difference. Whatever method we use to recognize people, it is imperative that we do not wait for a major win but celebrate the small “wins” along the way.
In fact, the Gallop organization has done research and found that leaders need to recognize team members at least once every seven days. For people to feel supported and appreciated, people need to hear from us. That may seem like a lot, but with all the challenges your team is facing they need to know that you care.
Let’s not take people for granted, instead let’s celebrate growth, efforts, and learning. Let’s especially appreciate people when they try something new but fail. These are teachable moments that don’t feel good but indicate that someone is trying.
Let’s celebrate in the midst of challenges as well as moments of success. Both are needed to win!
