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The power of micro-wins: why celebrating small wins matters

16 Dec. 2025

Why is celebrating small successes a big deal? Julie Graham, CEO of Ingeus Employment Services, shares her thoughts on why it’s important to acknowledge micro-wins as well as bigger milestones.

Christmas is a big cause for celebration in the Graham household, even more so this year as I’ll be spending it in my home country of Australia for the first time in four years. It’s going to be a big family affair with all the traditional Aussie festive trimmings, including pavlova (my Mum makes the best)!

Before I break up from work though, here in the Ingeus centres we’ll also be celebrating. Not just Christmas, but another successful year for our participants. We’re no strangers to marking our successes – our little wins – and it’s something I encourage my teams to do more of as the benefits are far-reaching.

What are micro-wins?
Small wins are the bitesize achievements that are so often overlooked. On their own they can seem trivial, but their cumulative effect leads to much greater success. If you’re training for a marathon, it’s easy to focus solely on the end goal and miss the smaller milestones along the way – the first 5k run, the run in pouring rain, overcoming an injury. All these things build you as a person, strengthening your learning, resilience and motivation for the big day. They deserve to be celebrated. 

The same goes for our work lives. Acknowledging the smaller steps along the way to achieving a new job or that momentous sales target, or to completing a two year long qualification, is just as important.

The power of celebrating micro-wins
Motivation: Pausing to celebrate progress can fuel our wellbeing, especially when the end goal can seem far away. As a leader, much of the work I do is strategic; it’s ongoing with no finite end to the checklist. It’s incredibly important for me to set myself mini milestones so I can celebrate the small successes and feel the psychological benefits.

Rejuvenation: Reflecting on achievements allows for emotional rejuvenation. Taking the time to do this can lead to new insights and perspectives, invaluable for helping drive businesses forwards. A recent study found that businesses that regularly celebrate achievements grow faster than those that don’t.

Resilience: We may need to adjust our strategy along the way and experience stress and anxiety as a result, but celebrating overcoming this boosts our confidence. With each setback we conquer, we’re reminding ourselves how capable we are at overcoming obstacles. 

How to celebrate micro-wins
Make the time: Recognise what the small wins are and appreciate that they are important to celebrate. This is more than just a pat on the back; it’s about recognising the hard work that’s behind each stage of the longer-term plan.

Keep it simple: It’s all tinsel and sparkle in December, but marking a small win doesn’t need to be extravagant. You don’t need to blow the budget to say well done. Inexpensive gestures, such as a social media post or a reflective coffee break can be just as powerful. 

I’ll be using this month’s long flight back down under to reflect on my micro-wins of 2025 and to work out what next year’s could be. However modest the wins may seem, pausing to reflect and celebrate, whether at home or work, can keep you and your teams motivated and on track to achieving the overall goal. No achievement is too small to acknowledge!