Celebrate the Small Wins

A company is made of its people. And everyone deserves to be involved and know where the company stands and where it is going.

To increase transparency and inspire the LinkAja team, I requested a more frequent company-wide town hall. Previously done quarterly, now we will have it monthly on top of other internal communications that we are ramping up.

In the town halls, the board of directors and I share updates on company metrics and strategic plans. But we also open the floor for employee feedback or questions. The point is to establish and build two-way communications between the leadership team and employees at all levels, and ultimately build trust.

But aside from those updates, I make it a point to have a session where we share small wins that we have accomplished in the past month. We want to show that we are?making progress in meaningful work, that our hard work is paying off, and that we acknowledge and celebrate them.

Why does small wins matter?

From my experience, I noticed key parts of being a leader are to empower, listen, and inspire. Empower them to accomplish their goals, listen to their feedback to address issues or blockers, and inspire positive actions for themselves and the organization.

Sharing progress and small wins is central to this.?This article explains in detail the power of small wins very well, in something they call?the progress principle. The authors argue that among knowledge workers, one of the most important things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perception during work is making progress in meaningful work. The more people feel a sense of progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive and inspired in the long run.

We often think of progress sharing only as a way to keep track of work. Some of us may even dread this progress sharing, out of fear of delivering the news to the boss that things may not be proceeding as expected. This is especially true in high-pressure environments. Highly competitive environments may, intentionally or not, let fear drive achievements.

Pressure may be practical, but I believe it is not sustainable and harmful in the long run. Such a high-stress situation could push employees to burn out and produce a toxic environment. Such a situation could also lead to teams delivering doctored statistics to please management, and that could cause unwanted headaches in the future when we realize things are not as rosy as we thought. Facing brutal facts and sharing the information with the team is crucial. Identifying red flags early on to prevent and mitigate is much preferable than firefighting.

Stacking small wins will bring us to greater heights and enable us to reach our big goals.

If we can harness progress sharing as a positive force... Celebrating small wins and identifying room for improvements or growth would instead create a supportive environment for all to thrive and achieve more.

The article’s authors also talked about?catalysts?or actions that support work and?nourishers?or acts of interpersonal support such as respect, recognition, and emotional support. And it is part of a leader’s job to provide these to the team. And concerning this, a leader’s emotional capabilities (EQ) become valuable. But that is a subject for another day.

Meaningful work?

Earlier I mentioned the concept of “making progress in meaningful work”. But what is meaningful work? Surely what is meaningful differs from person to person. Does meaningful work only refer to charitable work or those that significantly-impact society?

Not necessarily. Assigning meaning is another job for leaders.

Coming back to the regular town halls we have at LinkAja as an example, my preference for transparency and sharing with all employees is to set the context. To help everyone understand the big picture, what they do and what can be done, how they are contributing and how they can contribute more, and most importantly: why.

Understanding the why is critical for anyone to get inspired and motivated. Simon Sinek elaborates this concept in-depth in his book "Start with Why", or watch him summarizes the idea in the below clip.

By helping employees understand the context of their work, we can be clear on how their work impacts the company, their colleagues, the consumers, or whichever stakeholder is most relevant to them. I want the team to believe in what we do and where we are going, to work with me and pour in our efforts to unite the nation’s potential.

Lastly, LinkAja is undergoing a period of transformation. Periods of change bring uncertainty. They are uncomfortable and bring many questions.

I believe in LinkAja’s mission. And that we have the capabilities and a sound strategy and plan to achieve them. And I want everyone in LinkAja to share this belief. Thus, transparency and context-setting are crucial.

Sharing the small wins lets the team knows that we are on track and that our work is making a difference. Keeping the small wins to only the leadership team is a disservice to everyone who has worked hard.

For my colleagues at LinkAja: I see you. The leadership team sees you. Know that no effort goes unnoticed, and we are grateful for your contribution to LinkAja. Let us continue the good work together and Gas! Gas! Gas!

For everyone else: keep in mind that we are all leaders in some ways in different aspects of our lives. And don’t forget to share and celebrate the small wins along your journey!

#LinkAja #Leadership #SmallWins