How much time do you spend reviewing the successes of your team? If I had to guess, you probably do not do it nearly as much as you spend reviewing failures, mistakes, and errors. But why?

I understand that we grow by learning from our mistakes, but can't we learn from our success as well? Don’t we need to know what we should keep doing, as well as what we should stop doing? Instead of always focusing on…"We must never do this again", why don't we focus on "We must keep doing this!"

If it works in sports, why can't it work in business? Reviewing winning plays is in some ways connected to positive psychology. Positive psychology is all about discovering and nurturing strengths, rather than channeling efforts into correcting shortcoming. It’s about shifting your energy to an optimistic view. Consider the following meeting agenda:

Subject: "Project XYZ - Review what's going right"

Agenda:

• Status update: share everything that has gone right to date

• Discussion: list of the things that are going right

• Brainstorm: what should we do more of?

• Next steps: assign the best person to carry out each task based on strengths

Maybe you are not ready for something this extreme, what are you willing to try with your team? What is one small step you can take to start reviewing your winning plays? Challenge yourself to use the same amount of rigor to review your wins as you do your losses.

When you review your winning plays, it is important to thoroughly review what led to the win, with the same level of scrutiny you would a loss. Search for the causes of success to identify the factors that played a part and those you want to replicate. Even with a win, you might find undesirable factors that you don't want to repeat.

The end of year is a great time to reflect, celebrate wins, and plan for next year. Like you, I am sure your employees are feeling their energy drain as they push to make it across the finish line of this year. Give them a gift by reviewing the winning plays and celebrate their wins! Let your losses tell you what not to do and let your successes guide you in the right direction.

Other Resources

Self Improvement myths that may be holding you back - Article

Positive Reinforcement in the Workplace - Article

Celebrate the Small Wins - YouTube Video