ACCOMPLISHMENTS - CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE

When did you last watch the full credits, right to the very end?

People need to feel seen and heard and that their contribution has mattered. This is critical in an ending, and as part of helping people move forward. The third pillar of our four pillars, Accomplishments, makes sure this happens fully.

In our Endings for Beginnings workshop this is the pillar that people often most easily find examples of - for all the wrong reasons. The wounds of unacknowledged accomplishments are often still raw, sometimes years after the ending. The impact ripples on. My guess is, you will have an example where you have experienced or witnessed lack of acknowledgement. Or where you have either consciously or unconsciously not closed well.  What were your reasons?

• Assumptions e.g. they knew how much I valued them 

• It felt awkward, the ending was messy

• It was complex and there was a settlement agreement involved – I wasn’t sure what I could say so I kept it bland

• Time

• It was a team effort with varying contributions

All these reasons are well worth unpicking, but let’s start with an ending with many people involved.  Prioritising acknowledging accomplishments in a thoughtful way might feel unnecessary – we know what has been done and we know who did it. And thanking them en masse is enough. But the energy you put in to slowing that down to note what each person contributed, and how they would know it had been recognised, is energy that will come back multiplied by the positive and ongoing impact it has on everyone who then receives the acknowledgment.

Movie credits can be a useful approach. In the movie credits everyone is acknowledged. Too many categories to list here but I always love watching the names and roles scroll past.

When you complete a project, or even simply get to the end of a week, and the credits role, what are the roles, who is in them, and what is that telling you about who and what accomplishments needs acknowledging?

You’ll find some simple questions for reflecting on your own or someone else’s accomplishments along with more reasons for paying attention to accomplishments here 

P.S. One more thought about time and accomplishments - in our experience - it’s never too late!