Accomplishments

As a business owner a big part of our job is problem solving.  Therefore it can seem like there problems is all there is.  They pile up, it can feel like you are drowning in them.  But it's not true…we have accomplishments.  This blog is about why it is vital to be present to them and acknowledge them.

How it goes

At the Co-create Meetings we have with clients our first agenda item is always ‘Accomplishments’.  Here is how the conversation usually goes…

Growth Specialist: “Let's start with accomplishments and celebrating what got done this quarter.”

Business owner: “It's been a bit tough I'm afraid.  We had a staff member leave, I've had to to cover for them.  I really wonder if I can find the right people, plus….. problem, problem, problem.”

Growth Specialist: “That does sound tough, we'll definitely talk about that later but this part of the meeting is about accomplishments, the things you achieved, successes you are celebrating.”

Business owner: baffled silence…”er…well…I suppose the website is an accomplishment, but it's not finished yet so I don't know if we can count that.”

Growth Specialist: “What happened with the website?”

Business owner: “Well it went live, actually that was a massive amount of work, I guess we should celebrate that.”

Growth Specialist: “Brilliant!  Congratulations.  That is a massive job. What's it been like?  Have you had much feedback?.”

Business owner: “Well yes, actually people have said they really like it and it's started generating some sales which I am really pleased about.”

Growth Specialist: “Amazing, isn't that great.  What else?.”

And now the accomplishments start to flow, slowly at first but faster as time goes on, until you have a list of them, usually upwards of 10, and you run out of time in that section of the agenda.

Why is it important?

So why is it important?   Why spend time on them in a packed agenda?  After all, the result exists if it is acknowledged or not…or does it?  The website is live but the accomplishment of the website going live doesn't exist until it is declared out loud.  The distinction is subtle but important.  You could say doing the website is part of the day to day or you could say it is a mistake and so it only becomes an accomplishment when you say it is one.

This is why it is vitally important to talk about accomplishments out loud with others.  If you don't, they actually don't exist, they are lost, maybe forever.  At the extreme, if nothing is acknowledged as an accomplishment, there are none and you are working without accomplishing anything, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

In this extreme example, the business owner is now working without any achievements and that is an extremely depressing place to be.   Motivation dries up fast in a workplace where nothing ever gets accomplished.

Your Team

Another reason why it's important to celebrate successes as a business owner lies in the team.  Your team culture starts at the top.  If you can't acknowledge success, nor will your team, and if they can't, their motivation will dry up just like yours.

In fact you need to go over the top with the acknowledgements.  You need to find accomplishments in the tiniest things and make them feel like the biggest wins.  Why?  Partly because of the wider societal culture we operate in.  The British are famous for understatement and self depreciation.  Celebrating our wins doesn't come naturally to us.  Secondly, believe it or not you are probably the most positive and optimistic person in the room.  You have to be to start a business.  What feels to you like going over the top is probably what's needed to get everyone else on the same page.

When you do start getting into acknowledgement, praise, celebrating accomplishments, the effect can be transformative.  People and teams stuck in the doldrums come alive, ideas and opportunities emerge, the wins multiply.

Occasions for celebration

If we take all this on board, we need to make time and space for acknowledgement.  Hopefully it becomes second nature, but we would recommend building occasions for acknowledgement into your business.  Meetings are a great place.  Accomplishments are the first agenda item of every meeting we hold.  Sometimes, just like with the Co-create Meetings, it's tough to get the flow going.  When that happens that question ‘What else?’ is pure gold, the real gems of accomplishment are found after the third or fourth reiteration of that question.

Celebrations generally are also good, the Christmas party, the summer BBQ.  These are all times to take stock and be thankful.

And finally an acknowledgement to you!

You are a business owner.  You took a risk that not many people are prepared to make.  Whether you see it or not your business makes a difference, it provides a service, it makes things happen.  What an accomplishment!  Congratulations!