Upgrades and Uplifting Moments

Software is ubiquitously upgraded almost everyday; we receive regular updates and patches to be installed to our operating systems. We take great pride when we upgrade our houses, hoping to deliberately bump its perceived value skywards. We relish in the next android phone launched by Apple, opting for an iPhone with an additional alphabet attached to it. Applications-developing companies hope that owners of their shareware games upgrade – by buying at their Appstore – to a paid version, embellished with more bells and whistles than a music store.

Corporations provide recognition and rewards of its performers by way of bonuses, incentives and promotions. High-potentials earn an accelerated career pathway, allowing their ambitions and aspirations to be fulfilled sooner. Beyond pure performance appraisals, peer appraisals can also matter in a 360 Degree Feedback System (360DFS).

It feels nice to be acknowledged. The knowledge that we are positioned higher than our counterparts and colleagues may enhance our confidence. We feel empowered by our sense of achievement and its raises our self-esteem and self-worth. Once a professional athlete earns world championship status, his/her status is upgraded; same goes for amateur athletes who secure a podium spot in the Olympic Games. Your value, credibility and influence rise in tandem to your accomplishments.

I found out today that I was promoted 23 positions above the previously posted results of the Newton 30K run held on Sunday. This now, assuredly, places me in the top-5 percent that I suspected I earned; confusion in the timing and results' layout created significant displeasure with the competitors. My timing stayed the same, validated by my own recording on my Garmin 310XT watch; this data matters more to me than relative ranking. I have observed that as easy as it is to host a sporting event, that irate participants easily disengage from future support. Tribes can downgrade your efforts and good intentions as their results and experiences are emotional issues. It can cost us a bit for an upgrade, yet a downgrade (by others) can cost us so much more.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time you upgraded some of your beliefs? What have you done to upgrade yourself? How much do you assist in the development and growth of your staff? What have you done to enhance the capability of your staff, so that they might choose to stay relevant and employable?