Celebrate Milestones and Embrace Growth
‘Tis the season for graduations, and this year was even more meaningful for me, as my niece was asked to give the commencement speech at her eighth-grade graduation. As I listened to her, I found it magical how excited she and her fellow eighth-graders were to celebrate, acknowledge their growth, and look forward to the next chapter in their lives. This moment of reflection made me think about our individual professional journeys and what we can learn from these speeches as leaders.
In her speech, my niece said, "Today is a day of celebration. It's a day to acknowledge our hard work, commitment, and resilience." While listening, I noticed my mind skeptically responding, "Wait until you become an adult and see how hard it is to celebrate.” I realized that we have a choice to celebrate the different stages and seasons of our professional lives. As leaders, when we celebrate and acknowledge our teams, we motivate them, create a sense of accomplishment, and foster a positive and encouraging environment.
Think about all the celebration opportunities that get glossed over in our professional lives:
Completing a large and challenging project.
Meeting team goals during a difficult quarter.
Being creative and innovative in trying a different strategy.
These are moments that deserve recognition, yet many times, we focus on the next task. We deserve to celebrate both big and small achievements at every stage of our profession for ourselves and our teams. Not only do we deserve to, but it will solidify what worked and enable continued success.
My niece also spoke about how far they've come. They had to grow to navigate the halls of middle school after years of remote learning, overcome the embarrassment of wearing their ketchup and mustard-colored gym uniforms, and manage the pressure of finding the right circle of friends. She said, "Be resilient, learn, and use these challenges as a stepping stone to success." While this might sound cliché, it reminds us as leaders to reflect on our experiences, learn from our professional successes and failures, and have a positive impact on our teams. Many of the mentors and leaders we respect embody this. For us, this is a conscious choice we can make every day.
In addition to commemorating the past, milestone celebrations are also about looking forward. My niece's graduation speech encouraged her fellow graduates to embrace the future with confidence and optimism. "High school, we are ready for you!" she said. Transitions can be hard on leaders and institutions, so how can we inspire ourselves and our teams to adopt a forward-thinking mindset? By choosing an open and forward-thinking approach, we model supportive leadership to our teams.
An eighth-grader reminded me that graduation season is a chance to celebrate the milestones we achieve and the growth we experience! By celebrating achievements, reflecting on growth, and embracing the future, we become better leaders. Just as graduates step into their next chapter with confidence and hope, we too can move forward, inspired by the lessons of the past and ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead.
