We’re a goal-oriented society, and leaders tend to be goal-oriented people. They’re always moving forward and taking steps to achieve the next goal, cross the next hurdle, or achieve the next milestone.
In the process, though, something gets left behind. Honoring where they’ve been, the effort they and their teams have expended, and the successes they’ve achieved.
The Cost of Ignoring Success
There’s a real cost to this constant forward motion without reflection. When leaders don’t take time to acknowledge accomplishments, several things happen:
- Teams don’t learn what they’re doing well, or what’s working. They don’t recognize the processes that are generating desired results or the wins that they might replicate.
- Team members don’t just feel unappreciated. When their achievements go unnoticed, your team members feel their contributions don’t matter.
- Burnout burns brighter. When you fail to celebrate wins, work becomes an endless series of problems to solve. That’s exhausting. Taking time to recognize success—even small success—provides the fuel to keep going.
- The organization misses opportunities to reinforce its values and culture. Every success story is an opportunity to spotlight what you stand for and the behaviors you want to see more of.
Those aren’t outcomes any organization, or leader, wants to see. As we enter the new year, it’s a good time to take a breath and reflect on the achievements of the past year.
What Deserves Recognition?
Achievements don’t have to be major. Too often, though, it’s the major achievements that leaders focus on—or the lack thereof.
Major accomplishments aren’t the only ones that deserve recognition. In fact, it’s often the smaller, daily successes that matter most because they’re repeatable and can drive continuous improvement and achievement of those Big Hairy Audacious Goals or BHAGs.
So what are some small achievements that might deserve to be on your list? Here are some ideas:
- Did you mentor someone who showed improvement? That’s leadership development which is critically important these days to both employees and the organizations they work for.
- Did you conduct stay interviews that helped you understand what keeps people on board? That’s a critical step to take to boost employee retention.
- Did you have a difficult conversation that needed to happen, instead of avoiding an issue that, although small, could grow into something bigger? That’s also important for employee development, and accountability, and sends a message to other employees about what’s rewarded—and what’s not.
- Did you maintain your composure during a crisis when people were looking to you for stability? That’s emotional intelligence. And that’s exactly what’s required of effective leaders.
These aren’t monumental achievements, but they matter monumentally! And they’re worth celebrating.
Make Recognition a Leadership Practice
Before you start thinking about resolutions or goals for 2026, here are some important “to-do’s”:
Create your accomplishment list. Set aside some time—at least an hour—to document your 2025 accomplishments. You’ll be surprised at what comes to mind once you just start writing.
Identify the small wins. What consistent practices did you maintain? What habits did you build?
Recognize your team’s contributions. Make sure you’ve taken the time to acknowledge the team members who made your accomplishments possible.
Share success stories. Don’t let your good work, or the work of your team, go unnoticed. Make successes visible.
And, finally, give yourself permission to feel proud. You’ve earned it!
What did you accomplish in 2025? Share your wins—I’d love to hear what you’re celebrating.
