What a difference a battery makes!
I was out cycling last week getting in shape for my upcoming IronGirl® triathlon in August. Unfortunately, over the course of the winter my odometer /speedometer had stopped working and during the ride I was perpetually asking my friend Joy – “How far have we gone?” I needed to know how much progress I had made (and also how far I had left to go).
This got me thinking about how helpful it is to make progress at work and to know how the progress helps me reach my goals. With the simple replacement of the dead battery in the odometer, I was back on track to knowing my progress again on the bike. If only things were that simple at work.
When I ask people in my workshops what gets them satisfied, energized & feeling productive at work, the responses are often related to “getting work done”; “finishing my tasks”; and “making a difference”. Progress plays right into this.
I recently came across an article from May 2011 in Harvard Business Review called “The Power of Small Wins”. The article, written by two of my favorite thought leaders, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, talks about the research behind this phenomenon of progress (they also co-wrote a book called The Progress Principle).
In their work, Ms. Amabile and Mr. Kramer conducted a large research project that involved analyzing 12,000 daily surveys filled out by participants regarding their workday. Here’s what they found…“When we compared our research participants’ best and worst days…we found that the most common event triggering a ‘best day’ was any progress in the work by the individual or the team. The most common event triggering a ‘worst day’ was a setback.” Although this idea may sound simple, the value comes in figuring out how to use the knowledge to our advantage in being a Chief Paradise Officer at work.
So what can you do about creating and recognizing progress in your work?
When you are a leading – help members of your team connect to making meaningful progress every day at work. Identify what “progress” is for their particular job and where they stand currently. You don’t want them to feel like I did on the bike with the broken odometer – uninformed and frustrated.
Then celebrate the WOWs (something internal or external that makes you satisfied & energized) of making progress and work to shrink the POWs (something internal or external that feels like a heavy blow) of setbacks. Sometimes preventable POWs get in the way of progress and in your role, you can work with the team to fix the problem. Putting a new battery in my odometer allowed me to feel informed about my progress. In your leadership role you can do the same thing.
When you are following – take a look at your work and how meaningful it is to you. According to Amabile and Kramer, progress is only important when connected to meaningful work (I invite you to read SHIFT to Professional Paradise to learn more about that).
What are your measures of progress on a daily basis? For me, progress is gauged by all the ways I support my clients and those of you that read my newsletter. When I get chapters written for my upcoming book (6 Shortcuts to Employee Engagement), review survey data for an upcoming client engagement or make a phone call to connect with someone who has employee engagement challenges, I’m making progress!
Today is the day to make sure you own odometer/speedometer has fresh batteries so that you can connect with progress at work and remain the Chief Paradise Officer of your job.