Over the past couple of weeks, thanks to all of you, we’ve met some major milestones in our Pathway to Stabilization project, especially with the FY 2024 Program Review.
1. Departments completed their initial drafts and turned them over to OMB for review and next steps.
2. The Pathway to Stabilization Steering Committee celebrated 301 days as an ad-hoc team that came together to help define and communicate the Pathway.
3. OMB launched a survey to gather insights and information that will inform the next phase of our Pathway to Stabilization, where we’re working together to strengthen how we manage Loudoun’s organizational performance with data.
If you haven’t taken our survey yet, please take 6-7 minutes to do it now!
Celebrating successes during long projects is important, and yet, we rarely take the time to do it. It’s so easy to get bogged down in our day-to-day work, checking items off our list, and moving quickly from one meeting to another.
Pausing to celebrate success will help you and your teams remember that progress is being made and that you make a difference. It can also help you identify what went well, and what you might like to adjust moving forward.
It doesn’t have to be a big, elaborate affair, either. Keep it simple. What if you…
take a few minutes at the end of your next meeting to acknowledge a milestone in one of your projects?
pause now to pat yourself on the back?
send a quick email or chat to someone to recognize a job well done?
Look back through your calendar to today’s date one year ago and notice everything you’ve done since then?
If you want to spend a bit more time, consider these ideas:
Think about and document what led to your successes and how you will apply that to future projects.
Facilitate a session with your team to capture their reflections on what they’ve accomplished together and what they’re looking forward to. Be sure to document the results and share them back. You can even bring them back up next year!
Treat yourself or your team to a break or treat of some sort, acknowledging everyone’s efforts and contributions.
Brainstorm the milestones you want to be celebrating a month from now, six months from now, or a year from now. If you know what you’re working toward, you’ll be more likely to remember to celebrate when you get there!
Once again, we thank you for all the work you’ve done with us on our Pathway to Stabilization. We look forward to what’s next! Hope to see you at this Friday’s virtual workshop for people who plan. Please register here.
