Leadership Wisdom of the Week #27
“I see so much magic, though I missed it at the time.”
– Jamie Cullum, Photograph
Jamie Cullum has been one of my favourite artists since I first heard his music in the early 2000s. This week’s quote reminds us how much magic there is in our ordinary lives – and how easily we overlook it while getting on with everyday tasks and to-do lists. We learn new things, enjoy wonderful moments with others and find satisfaction in the things that matter to us, yet often we do not stop to savour those fleeting moments of happiness.
The same thing can easily happen at work. We rush from one meeting to another and move from one project to the next, focusing on what still needs to be done instead of stopping to notice what we have already achieved.
I think one of the most important tasks for us as leaders is to help people pause and appreciate what they have achieved, both individually and together. Regular team meetings and one-to-one meetings should create space for this: not just examining what went wrong and needs to be corrected, or what still needs to be done, but also acknowledging progress and achievements.
Meaningfulness at work is strongly associated with employee engagement and well-being. It is the subjective experience that one’s work is valuable and worth doing. Making the results of our work – and the difference they make – visible is an important way of strengthening that sense of meaningfulness.
Celebrating does not necessarily mean going out for fancy dinners or doing something time-consuming and expensive. It can simply mean using half an hour of a team meeting to reflect on recent achievements and what made them possible. It can be a few thoughtful words of feedback that make clear what was achieved, why it mattered and what enabled it.
These small actions help people recognise the value of what they do before attention inevitably shifts to the next task or challenge. They help us see the meaningfulness – and the moments of magic – in our everyday work.
What do you do to help your people see the moments of magic in their work?
Leadership Wisdom of the Week: Why?
This year, I decided to explore new ideas about leadership—but also to revisit and reflect on some old favourites. And I felt like sharing the most important ones with you.
These insights come from many different sources: leadership researchers and philosophers, but also from some of my favourite songwriters and fiction writers. What matters is that each of them has made me reflect on something essential about leadership.