The words of Kool and the Gang ring loud and clear. To celebrate is something we can all get around. It is uplifting and vital for individuals and teams. We constantly look at what we need to accomplish, where we need to get to, and what we still need to complete. We see the gap and, at times, use the void as a guide to the path forward, yet fail to recognize where we have come from.
What if we stop and reflect on where we came from – where we were a year ago or before we began this journey? Success is important. Suppose we appreciate what we can accomplish and know that future goals are attainable. It will even provide us with the impetus and confidence to do more.
As individuals and organizations, we focus on what we cannot do, where we have shortcomings and failures. Yet, even those have an important place.
Our shortcomings or supposed areas for development and growth may not be where we want to place focus permanently. Too often, we force people to focus on what they are not good at, do not like, and have no desire to evolve. Would we expect the creative thinker to be good at handling machines? Do we want the accountant to be our marketing guru? Do you, as an individual who dislikes desk work, genuinely want to be a manager behind the desk? Instead, what may be if we celebrate strengths and allow our creative side to generate ideas, the accountant to solve financial issues, and the operator to train others?
We want to succeed, so why not celebrate it when we attain it? But, on the other hand, since we focus on what we do not reach, can we not give the success a similar platform, or do we have it reversed and instead seek to highlight our shortcomings?
Celebrating success is not arrogant, especially if you have attained it. Nor does being humble require you to diminish your accomplishments or minimize your strengths. Instead, humility is about admitting your weaknesses and being generous in supporting others with your strengths.
Being successful gives others something to aspire to. Don’t hide it unless you prefer a team of underachievers with little scope for growth. Instead, highlight the strengths of others and your own, use them, and allow people to sharpen their best tools. Winning is essential for survival; we must learn to celebrate to win.
