Today many of us feel distracted, worried, and not as productive as we’d like to be. In her July 6 “Coronavirus Curveball Tip of the Week” video, Bobbie LaPorte talks about the surprising power of small wins—and how you can leverage them to motivate bigger achievements.
Transcript of Coronavirus Curveball Tip of the Week: The Surprising Power of Small Wins
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s Coronavirus Curveball tip of the week. As I’ve been speaking with leaders over the last few weeks, many of you have expressed concern about not being as productive as you’d like; about team members missing deadlines or deliverables. As we’ve discussed in these tips before, it’s not surprising, given all that is going on right now, for you and your team members to be distracted, worried, not as motivated as they might be in more certain and “normal” times.
My previous guidance here has been to show empathy while continuing to set clear goals, provide the support to achieve them, and check-in, not check up on them.
For all you over-achievers, remember, it is OK not to be an A+ player right now.
This week I would like to share another idea with you – and that is the concept of the power of small wins. Many of you have heard me talk about this before; it is one of the key ideas from Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit.
What is a small win? It is a concrete, complete outcome of moderate importance that can set off a chain of more and better outcomes.
How is this possible? We know from research that small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments themselves. Small wins are a steady application is a small advantage. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach.
How cool is that??
So, here’s my tip:
This week, look for 1 or 2 small wins that can move your team forward; it can be any kind of measurable progress that will fuel motivation and help your team see the possibility of bigger achievements. And be sure to visibly and publicly celebrate them.
That’s my tip for this week. I’ll see you again next Monday. In the meantime, remember that leadership makes the greatest difference when the world around us is uncertain. Take care of yourself!