Setting goals: Celebrating small wins in coaching

The concept of celebrating small wins harnesses the power of progress and provides a strong foundation for sustainable growth.  Intrigued to learn more about how powerful celebrating small wins can be? Read on, this article is for you! 

What is a small win?

Imagine for a moment that a goal is a house made of Lego bricks. If we’re just focusing on the end result, we might ignore every brick it takes to get to the finished house because we’re too caught up on the bigger goal.

However, when it comes to celebrating the small wins along the way, it’s the same Lego house but we’re breaking it down into smaller action steps and celebrating each individual step taken along the way. We’re acknowledging building the walls, windows, and doors. 

These tangible outcomes, though seemingly minor on their own, hold significant meaning within the coaching journey. Small wins can take various forms, such as completing tasks, overcoming obstacles, acquiring new skills, or making positive changes in behaviour or mindset. They act as building blocks for larger accomplishments, providing our clients with evidence of their capabilities and fostering self-efficacy. By breaking down big goals into manageable steps, small wins create a clear path, reducing overwhelm and instilling confidence.

Small wins serve as stepping stones, or Lego bricks, inspiring clients to push beyond their comfort zones and persevere through challenges on their path to success.

Cultivating a positive coaching environment when setting goals

We’ve talked briefly about some of the benefits of celebrating small wins, but there’s profound psychological benefits to celebrating the stepping stones. For example achieving and celebrating small wins helps us to: 

• Cultivate a positive mindset
• Trigger the release of dopamine, the feel good hormone
• Boost self-confidence
• Fuel motivation 
• And it offers an opportunity to test and measure results

As coaches, we play a vital role in facilitating the celebration of small wins for our clients, which in turn cultivates a positive coaching environment.

7 steps to break large goals into achievable small wins when setting goals

1. Clearly define the client's overarching goal: Begin by gaining a thorough understanding of your client's big-picture objective. This clarity will serve as a guiding star throughout the process.
2. Break down the goal into smaller milestones: Collaborate with your client to identify specific milestones that mark significant progress towards the ultimate goal. These milestones should be measurable and achievable within a reasonable timeframe.
3. Prioritise and create a step-by-step plan: Help your client prioritise the milestones and develop a detailed action plan that outlines the specific steps needed to reach each milestone. 
4. Encourage achievable targets: Ensure that the smaller steps are achievable, as attainable milestones foster motivation and a sense of accomplishment.
5. Celebrate each milestone reached: Emphasise the importance of celebrating and acknowledging each milestone achieved. This recognition reinforces the client's progress and motivates them to continue moving forward.
6. Foster a positive mindset: Help your client cultivate a positive and growth-oriented mindset. Encourage them to embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and view the journey as an opportunity for personal growth and transformation.
7. Inspire and motivate: Continually inspire and motivate your client by highlighting their progress and reminding them of their capabilities.

Ready to celebrate your clients' small wins?

So there you have it, celebrating small wins in coaching is transformative for our clients' success and overall journey!  We can support our clients when setting goals to feel more motivated, confident, and determined to reach their dreams and goals.

If you’d like to continue your professional development and learn more tips and techniques for supporting your clients, did you know we offer a range of CPD sessions to boost your coaching toolkit? Head to our online events page to learn more. 

Are you new to coaching and would like to find out more about how coaches help their clients set powerful and transformational goals? If so we would love to invite you to join our free Introduction to Life Coaching webinar.