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Leadership For Consultants: Want More Big Wins? Celebrate the Small Ones

By Leo Bottary
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In 2017, I hosted a podcast called The Year of the Peer, where I interviewed 50 successful people from various walks of life.

During our conversations, I asked each of them: Did you become successful all by yourself?

They all laughed at the idea, explaining that countless people helped them along the way, providing various levels of encouragement, advice, and emotional support.

Among the people they most valued were those who reminded them of how far they had come (celebrating their progress) instead of constantly stressing how far they still had to go.

They realized that in pursuit of a long-term goal, “keeping your eye on the prize” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

If your consulting team wants to achieve big wins, it helps to celebrate the small ones along the way.

Here are two metaphors that illustrate this important leadership concept for consulting business owners.

Never miss an opportunity to celebrate your good deeds, as it will only inspire you and your team to repeat the process and ascend to new heights.

Climbing A Mountain

About 20+ years ago, my daughters and I set out to climb Mt. Baldy (12,805 ft.) in Colorado. At the start, they were super enthusiastic. After about 75 minutes, they said, “The view looks pretty good from here” and “Should we be concerned about those clouds coming in?”

Despite the light mood, you could see their exhaustion.

The air was becoming thinner, and the climb was getting steeper.

Also, if you’ve ever climbed a peak, you understand how it feels to look at the summit, climb for 20 minutes, and feel like you’re making no progress.

As my daughters were about to call it quits, I asked them to take note of where we were and climb for another 15 minutes. If they wanted to stop after that, they could do so, no questions asked.

After 15 minutes, the summit didn’t look any more attainable, but when I asked them to look back at where we came from, they were astonished at our progress.

So much so that it sparked a surge in their mental and physical energy.

They summited that day by putting one foot in front of the other and celebrating their small wins at different junctures.

It’s a life lesson that has stayed with them as they lead teams in their companies today.

Completing A Long Run

As a former long-distance runner, there were 20-mile training days when I was either not feeling 100% physically from time to time or just grew exhausted mentally by the distance.

During those times, I would stop and walk for a while, run until I couldn’t run anymore, and walk again. Then, I’d repeat the process until I reached the end of my run.

Unfortunately, this is how most people who are determined to finish do so when such a situation arises, and there’s nothing good about it.

A fellow runner told me this could happen to anyone, but I thought about it incorrectly.

He told me that if I stop and walk, that’s fine, but when I start running again, don’t run until I can’t go another step. He explained that when I do that, I engage in a mental exercise of repeated failures.

Instead, when I feel good enough to start again, look ahead and spot a tree or a stop sign. Set that as my goal. Run to it and declare victory. Then, start walking again, and when I’m ready, identify another marker. Run to that and call it a win.

He told me that the difference between declaring victory and succumbing to repeated defeats would help me finish more quickly and with a healthier attitude. It will put me in control of the run instead of the run controlling me.

Summary: Celebrate Your Team’s Small Wins

Keeping your eye on the prize is fine for short-term projects, but it’s a bad idea for any venture that requires a longer-term commitment — like building and growing a thriving consulting practice.

Instead, embrace milestones that encourage your consulting team to celebrate how far they’ve come instead of having them lament how far they still need to go.

And when they’re working late on an assignment they have no hope of finishing, coach them to identify a stopping point, declare victory, and rest easy.

As a result, they’ll sleep better and approach the following day with a healthier attitude.

Never miss an opportunity to celebrate your good deeds, as it will only inspire you and your team to repeat the process and ascend to new heights.


leo bottaryLeo Bottary is the founder and managing partner of Peernovation, LLC.  An award-winning author of three books, including Peernovation: What Peer Advisory Groups Can Teach Us About Building High Performing Teams (November 2020), Leo is also a Vistage Top Performing Speaker, adjunct professor for Rutgers University, and Opinion Columnist and Advisory Board Member for CEOWORLD magazine.

 

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