Neglecting business milestones can come at a cost, particularly to culture, morale, and performances, says Xero's Ashalee Mohamed
While economic pressures are driving businesses to double down on performance and profitability, leaders are often focused squarely on the end game, from closing the quarter, hitting the revenue target or even launching the next product.
But as Ashalee Mohamed, head of sales and go-to-market at Xero Canada, argues, this mindset can be short-sighted if employers ignore the value of pausing to acknowledge the smaller victories that lead the way.
Xero’s recent Made-it moments report found that only 17 per cent of Canadian small business owners believe celebrating all milestones is important, while 28 per cent don’t intend to celebrate any wins at all.
“For me, as a business leader in Canada, a lot of this resonated with me because I run the Canadian business, and as a leader, I'm often very astute and mindful of the end number and the end goal,” said Mohamed. “I've had to really double down and take a pause and challenge my own natural instinct… to stop and pause and celebrate the small made-it moments, or the small wins that it takes to be able to get there.”
According to Xero’s research, small business owners were also the least likely to report having reached a milestone in the past year (49 per cent vs. 57 per cent). Additionally, they were more likely to have a gap of longer than three years since they reached their last milestone (34 per cent vs. 27 per cent total).
Mohamed believes that smaller, everyday achievements often go unnoticed, especially in high-performing environments. But she says that neglecting these milestones comes at a cost, particularly to culture, morale, and ultimately, performance.
While Canadian businesses were the most reluctant to celebrate small wins, when they did, they spent the most doing it. According to Xero, Canadian business owners spent $5,011 CAD on average on celebrations over the past year, the second highest of any country surveyed. However, this high spending contrasts with the reservations of many owners who don’t see celebration as a good use of money or are worried about setting an expensive precedent with employees that could be difficult to maintain.
That tension, Mohamed believes, signals opportunity.
“There's almost an opportunity for growth to dive in more, in really driving those celebrations, because it really helps touch what I call the soft tangible skills and the soft tangible wins that are really important for a business's success and longevity,” she said.
But what counts as a “made it moment”? For Mohamed, they’re deceptively easy. She pointed to examples in the findings citing employers who were able to pay themselves, having repeat customers, or simply receiving positive reviews. Simple, low-cost gestures like posting achievements on social media or sending out celebratory emails were also used by 22 per cent of businesses surveyed.
Another powerful option, she noted, is time off with gifts of monetary value for an experience, adding that employees increasingly value experiences over material rewards.
From a benefits standpoint, Mohamed believes employers can make a real impact by designing benefits plans that go beyond standard coverage.
“I think the biggest value these days are in mental health,” she said, pointing to Xero’s benefit structure. “We have a pretty lofty, isolated bucket just for mental health, in addition to everything else.”
She ties these benefits directly to quality of life. Not just for employees, but their families, highlighting how broader paramedical coverage like acupuncture, naturopathy, and massage can have tangible effects on employees' and their families’ quality of life.
Reflecting on her own 13-year-old son’s intense soccer schedule and resulting physical strain, she emphasized how access to these services allows her to support him while maintaining her own physical and emotional well-being.
“In my world, it’s making sure I unlock those opportunities for him while also taking care of myself.”
On top of core benefits, Mohamed values Xero’s flexible spending initiatives, including a monthly contribution through the company’s Thrive Pass. She explained employees have used it for everything from paying for children’s activities to purchasing fitness equipment, giving their plan members’ choice and autonomy while reinforcing a culture of wellness.
But Mohamed sees a clear disconnect between the value of celebrating small wins and the reasons many businesses overlook them. She believes many organizations miss the opportunity to celebrate small wins simply because they don’t think it matters or they’re conditioned not to.
Another part of the issue is cultural and generational. Notably, older business owners often feel that hitting a target or completing a task is simply part of the job and nothing to stop and recognize over. Xero’s data backs that up, with 64 per cent of owners aged 65 and up saying they didn’t feel celebrations were necessary. Employees may also hesitate to highlight their own successes or nominate peers for recognition, assuming good work is just part of the job.
Meanwhile, Canadian business owners also tend to be extremely modest.
“In Canada, there's a humble culture. There’s a little bit of a humility that’s ingrained in us,” she said. “We don’t always need to celebrate everything that we do.”
While a forward-looking mindset can make it hard to pause and reflect, she believes that mentality needs to shift because when businesses do take that break, the payoff can be significant as the data shows that it’s more than just a morale booster.
“It unlocked motivation within business leaders and their employees, the well-being of your people, the well-being of yourself as a business owner, and overall business performance,” she said, adding these outcomes aren’t just soft benefits.
“To me as a business leader, that’s gold,” she said. "Those are the things you want to unlock for longevity, growth and overall success and happiness of the business."
