Be Win Generous

By Christine Carron

Are you stingy when it comes to claiming creative wins? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a common phenomenon. Unfortunately, celebration miserliness has a negative impact on creative productivity.

Despite celebration stinginess being very (very) common, most of us don’t perceive ourselves to have this problem. This is because our stinginess is often obscured by internal spin. One version goes like this: Celebrating progress is what they do in grade school. I'm a grown-up and shouldn’t need such puffing up to get things done.

If we’re not glossing over our celebration stinginess with the “I’m an adult” approach, we might be telling ourselves that we're holding ourselves to high standards, which means: No celebration allowed until the ultimate goal is met. 

If any of the above sounds familiar to you, celebration stinginess may be dragging on your forward momentum. Let's look at how.

Boss Patterns

Have you ever had a boss that was encouraging? Who created an environment where you had autonomy to experiment and learn?  Who recognized your progress, even if you hadn’t yet reached the ultimate end goal yet? Let’s call this kind of boss a “win-generous” boss.

On the flip side, have you ever had a boss that was harsh? Who created an environment where you had to do it their way and only their way? Who recognized your effort only after the ultimate goal was achieved, and then most likely did so begrudgingly? We’ll call this type of boss a “win-stingy” boss.

In which of those situations were you more engaged, more motivated, and more productive? If you’re anything like me or the folks I have coached throughout the years, most folks perform at a higher level in an environment where they have a win-generous boss. 

Why is that?

The Power of Your Inner Work Life

A win-generous boss positively impacts what researchers Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer call a person’s inner work life. What their data analysis shows is that “[a] person’s inner work life on a given day fuels his or her performance for the day and can even affect performance the next day.” (Emphasis in the original.)

Amabile and Kramer also write that what is particularly key to positively boosting one’s inner work life is a sense of progress, or claiming regular wins, i.e., being win-generous. “Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work. And the more frequently people experience that sense of progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive in the long run. Whether they are trying to solve a major scientific mystery or simply produce a high-quality product or service, everyday progress—even a small win—can make all the difference in how they feel and perform.” (Harvard Business Review, The Power of Small Wins, Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer.) 

The Choice is Yours 

In general, and certainly when it comes to your personal creative productivity, you are the ultimate boss of you. That means decisions you make impact your own inner work life. 

The question is: have you been more of a win-generous boss or a win-stingy one? (Be straight with yourself.) If you recognize a pattern of win-stinginess, not to worry. You have the power to cultivate an interior culture of win generosity. 

How to start? Each day find at least one creative win you can celebrate, no matter how small. 

At first your brain may resist this invitation. It may even tell you there is nothing to celebrate. In that case, please hold on to this: I have worked with thousands of highly creative individuals over the past thirty years, and there is always something we can find to celebrate. 

So rest assured, I have full faith in you and your capacity to build your win-generosity chops. Wahoo!

Happy day, happy creating, happy jamming—and celebrating. You’ve got this!