In this fast-paced and sometimes chaotic world, it’s easy to forget to slow down and celebrate successes. And in this highly competitive world, we are much less likely to celebrate the wins of others. But we need to do both. And we need to do it as much as possible!
In a recent podcast, author Mel Robbins suggested that we should celebrate the wins of others as if they were our own. At the heart of this idea is changing your mindset from one of jealousy to one of abundance—even when it’s not you specifically who earned the “win.”
This advice is especially true for leaders, who need to celebrate the wins of their teams, encourage their team members to celebrate each other and help their teams celebrate the wins of other teams across the organization.
According to Robbins, it’s important to remember that someone else’s win is not your loss. It might not always be easy to do so, but she suggests reframing jealousy as motivation. Success isn’t finite—there’s enough for everyone. Reaching out to others to congratulate them on their success helps build relationships, and it can even boost your own morale.
Lean into it to foster a positive mindset. Instead of seeing someone else’s success as your failure, it shows you that you can succeed, too. Rather than declaring, “Why not me?” shift to thinking, “What can I learn from this?” Let their success spark questions about strategies and practices that you can adopt.
Cheer loudly when those wins happen and give credit to everyone involved. Recognize how much effort they put in. When someone is promoted, celebrate with the whole team, and encourage those who felt they also deserved a promotion to believe that their turn will come.
Small wins deserve high-fives, too. We all have to-do lists with tasks that continually fall to the bottom. Encourage your team to share when they finally defeat that long-neglected task, even if it’s something as simple as getting through their inbox during a particularly busy week. Make a game out of it. Create honor walls (real or digital), make shout-outs a part of team meetings, share wins during a bank gathering or organize a monthly lunch to call out all the team’s successes. When wins, large or small, are celebrated, success becomes contagious, and it becomes part of the team culture.
With everything—professional and personal—that continues to swirl around in our lives, we need reminders to celebrate the wins. And a leader is perfectly positioned to be the cheerleader-in-chief and create a culture of positive feedback where everyone is encouraged to thrive.