Creating our own recognition-rich environment. Celebrate Small Wins!
Success is a series of small wins
Goals give purpose to our lives. And while we indeed take great pleasure in celebrating our considerable successes, we don't often take the time to acknowledge our accomplishments, no matter how small. After all, small steps lead to significant results and recognising every step of our journey is part of the growth process. Many of us don't know how to celebrate wins at work or where to begin!
There are countless reasons why those in executive and personal assistant positions may not often receive recognition for a job well done. We could argue that the very nature of the work means that it often goes unnoticed. Nevertheless, appreciation is always welcomed - even if it's not expected.
Celebrating the small victories may be seen as taking the attention away from the primary goal. On the contrary! Celebrating small wins allows you to recognise those important markers of how far you've come or how much you've achieved. Too often, however, we ignore these markers - dismiss them as just another day at the office! But if we are just as dismissive of our successes, how can we expect anyone else to take notice?
As executive and personal assistants, kudos is not something that comes readily or regularly. In all fairness, the work of executive support professionals is often unseen because they're experts at working under the radar and getting on with it. As such, the status quo is a lack of recognition for the great work achieved.
The problem with this status quo is that if others are not in the habit of acknowledging your achievements and neither are you, the results are even more damaging than you not achieving your goals. This dynamic engenders discontent that impacts your motivation. It's a slippery slope towards eroding your confidence and, in worst cases, playing into self-sabotage behaviour.
Don't undervalue the progress you make.
Acknowledging and celebrating your small successes keeps the motivation levels up and energises momentum.
When progress stalls, a goal can become all too difficult. An excuse to give up comes more readily than recalling and acknowledging the small steps and actions that have already put you several steps closer to achieving those long-term goals.
Celebrating achievements, no matter how small, creates a positive momentum that challenges imposter thoughts that would otherwise leave the door open to self-sabotage. Self-sabotage is self-doubt, double-guessing your every move. It's a negative way of thinking that sneaks up on us when faced with challenges. Procrastination is its cousin!
Winning this tug-o-war requires a positive attitude and mindset, which will help you stay motivated. Be proud of your achievements - they are the small rewards that amount to your life and career successes. Many of us keep personal journals, but we don't often think about a journal to record positive feedback received or celebrate small wins in our day-to-day work and, more broadly, our careers. Just think of all you have done to get to where you are today. Imagine how you might feel if you opened your career journal and read over the times you overcame obstacles.
Start recording your achievements.
We must all learn to be better at acknowledging our efforts and celebrating small wins. As executive support, your actions often go unnoticed because you make the job look seamless. Therefore, it is crucial that you give yourself credit for every achievement.
No matter how minor they seem, journaling the small day-to-day accomplishments helps reframe what might be considered 'not enough' to 'quite a lot. Celebrate big!'
By having a record of your accomplishments, you can point to it whenever you need a confidence boost or a reminder of your capabilities. Plus, it's a great way to reflect on your progress and set new goals so that you can celebrate success at work.
All your small victories amount to significant achievements that let you see how far you have come and make you feel good!
A practical tool for performance reviews
Did you know that writing your achievements can also be helpful during a performance review? Your journal can become a record of your accomplishments and gives you the data needed to articulate your abilities, successes and future potential. It will also prevent you from second-guessing when faced with quantifying the progress made on the road to achieving larger goals.
Change your perspective
You are what you think you are. What you look for is what you tend to see. If you see success in every win, big or small, you will learn to celebrate what are, in effect, achievements. Being grateful for these moments of recognition can make you feel rewarded and help you focus on things that bring you joy. Success, after all, is nothing but a series of small victories.
Let others take notice.
One way to achieve recognition is to be vocal about your big and small successes. This doesn't mean bragging or being obnoxious. Instead, it's simply a matter of communicating your wins in a confident and humble manner. Your boss or teammates are likely to notice if you're regularly sharing your triumphs, and it'll eventually become clear that your contributions are valuable and appreciated.
While challenging, don't be afraid to ask for recognition if you feel you're not getting due credit. It's important to remember that you deserve appreciation just as much as anyone else. If you're putting in the extra effort and not seeing any results, have a conversation with your boss or team members and explain how you're feeling. Chances are, they'll be more than happy to give you the recognition you deserve.
Recognition is essential for everyone and company-wide initiatives are key to employee engagement. But it can be especially valuable for executive assistants who often go above and beyond without being acknowledged. If you're looking for ways to achieve recognition, try journaling your accomplishments, communicating your successes confidently, and asking for appreciation when needed. You're sure to get the credit you deserve with a little effort.
So, the next time you have a success - no matter how small - celebrate it! Acknowledge it! Share it with others! Doing so will give you the strength to move on to the next goal and achieve even greater things. Let's start breaking the status quo of unrecognised administrative support professionals and create our own recognition-rich environment!