Sometimes We All Need a Cowbell
This past weekend, I traveled to New York to support two friends running the New York City Marathon. As always, I absolutely loved the race atmosphere. There is just something about it that gets me excited and energized.
That feeling is especially true when I’m the one racing, but I feel it even when I’m on the sidelines, cheering for friends and the thousands of runners who lined up to take on the challenge.
The homemade signs, cowbells, whistles, cheers and hugs along the course are always inspiring. What struck me most this weekend was watching a struggling runner visibly change when they saw or heard friends and family yelling their name and offering encouragement at exactly the moment they needed it.
Sometimes that encouragement came from people they knew. Other times, it was a funny sign or the voice of a complete stranger telling them to keep going.
Their circumstances hadn’t changed. They were still tired. They still had miles ahead of them or a hill to overcome. But for a moment, someone else helped them believe they could keep going.
I think that is one of the reasons I love the race atmosphere so much. These individuals are pushing their limits, working through difficult moments and trying to accomplish a goal that matters to them. And there are thousands of people lining the streets simply to support and encourage them along the way.
Returning to work, I thought I was leaving that energy in New York. By Monday, I realized I had brought the lesson home with me.
We had a pressing milestone ahead of us at work, and our team of 20 was facing an intense week. We were asking a lot of them and hoping that a concentrated push would allow us to make meaningful progress and make the weeks ahead more manageable.
As part of our plan, we held daily huddles where each person took a turn sharing what they planned to accomplish that day and what they had accomplished the day before.
Something happened naturally during those huddles. With each update, team members cheered, clapped and offered words of encouragement and support. Having traveled directly from New York, I still had my cowbell, and I rang it for each team member and their accomplishments.
One team member said, “This is exactly what I needed. This huddle energized me so much.”
Midweek, we also held a “Wins and Shout-outs” meeting where each team member shared a personal win, whether work-related or not, and recognized specific team members for their efforts and contributions.
Once again, I could see the difference.
Just as I had watched runners’ faces change when they heard their names called from the sidelines, I could see our team’s demeanor and energy shift when their efforts were recognized and encouraged by the people around them.
It reminded me of something simple that is easy to forget.
The cheers don’t shorten the marathon. The encouragement doesn’t eliminate the hill ahead. Recognition doesn’t make difficult work less complicated. And support doesn’t make the work disappear.
But sometimes knowing that someone sees your effort, believes in you and appreciates what you are doing is exactly what you need to keep moving forward.
We all encounter moments when we’re tired, stretched or wondering whether we have enough left to keep going. We can’t always make the road easier for someone, but we can make sure they don’t travel it without encouragement.
And it doesn’t take a cowbell, a homemade sign or thousands of people lining the streets. Sometimes it’s simply noticing someone’s effort, saying their name and letting them know, “I see what you’re doing. Keep going.”
We can all be that person for someone else.