Celebrate Your Successes as a Parent and a Leader

 

As a fairly typical LeaderMom I spend most of my time focusing on delivering results. On the flip side, I spend less time than I should focusing on what I’ve done well and how to replicate those successes. A few weeks ago, I was at a LeaderMom board meeting. Our fearless leader, Cathy, kicked off the meeting by asking each participant to share a highlight from the week. As I furiously racked my brain for a highlight to share, I glanced at my water bottle and knew what highlight I wanted to share.

A few days earlier, I learned from one of my mom friends from my daughter’s school that Hydro Flask is the new “it” water bottle and that S’well is “so last season”. After having a little chuckle, I realized that my nine-year-old daughter hadn’t expressed (or even mentioned) a desire for a Hydro Flask. Out of amusement, I decided to broach the subject with her. Our exchange went like this:

Me: Hey, honey. I heard a rumor.

Daughter: Yeah. What did you hear?

Me: I heard that Hydro Flasks are the new “must have” water bottle… S’wells are no longer cool. Is that true?

Daughter: (While shaking her head at me) Mommy, don’t you know that water bottles don’t make you cool? What makes you cool is if you are a nice person! It doesn’t matter what you have, it matters how you treat people.

Me: (As my heart swelled with pride) You’re right! Being a nice person is much more important than having a certain type of water bottle or any other thing. 

Sharing this highlight in our board meeting, provided me with an opportunity to realize how profound this moment was for me as a mom. Even though I feel as if I spend most of my time with daughter nagging about homework, negotiating bed time, and asking my daughter to eat her spinach, my husband and I are raising a child with a strong moral compass – a decent human being. 

Generally, when I think about how things are going, I often focus on what I’m NOT doing and what I SHOULD be doing. Hang on! While there are plenty of things I think I should be doing differently, I am doing a pretty good job. I’m raising a child who actually knows what’s important in life! 

As we approach year-end review season, most high performing employees default to thinking about what hasn’t gone well this year, what needs to be done differently, development areas, etc. While I agree it’s important to know what we need to work on, why aren’t we focusing on our wins? If we don’t know what successes we’ve achieved and which strengths led to those successes, how can we expect to replicate successes and leverage our strengths for the future?

My challenge to you is that you think differently about how you evaluate your own performance this year. Begin by knowing your value. Ask yourself these questions…

  1. What did I accomplish this year?

  2. Of these accomplishments, which ones am I the proudest?

  3. What do these accomplishments tell me about my strengths?

  4. How will I leverage these strengths going forward?

  5. What didn’t go as well as I would have liked this year? Why? What will I do differently in similar situations in the future?

As parents and leaders, LeaderMoms often take the time to recognize the successes of their employees and children. We do this because we want to encourage the same behavior in the future. Let’s apply the same approach to ourselves – pause, recognize and acknowledge what you are doing right at home and at work, give yourself credit for your successes, and strive to replicate them in the future. Whether it’s a “water bottle moment” with your child or your year-end review, know your value and get on your own team!

(As a side note, I have had both a S’well and a Hydro Flask for a few years. I use them interchangeably. They are both great water bottles… but they’re not what makes me cool.)

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Kaitlin Hershey