Quick question: If you were managing someone and had to guess the #1 thing that would most boost their inner work life, what would you guess it to be? Teresa Amabile, head of research at Harvard Business School has surveyed hundreds of top executives and managers. She has discovered that 95% of those surveyed have gotten the answer wrong. They simply do not know what motivates people. ANSWER: Small wins. Progress on meaningful projects. People feel their best and perform at their best when they’re making progress on something that matters to them. It’s the TINY little wins we can create for ourselves day in and day out that make the most difference.

You are the CEO of yourself! It is time to manage your “Rock-Star” employee as well as possible. Here are two things to consider:

1. What is a meaningful goal for you today?
2. How can you make just a little progress on this goal today!

Repeat tomorrow. And the day after that. And the one after that. Make creating micro wins for yourself a habit.

Suggested Book by Teresa Amabile & Steven Kramer