WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
• The final win is a lagging indicator. The work that earns it deserves to be recognized while it's happening.
• Celebrating progress (not just outcomes) builds the culture of trust and boldness that keeps winning.
• Great leaders name the right moves before the scoreboard confirms them. That's what makes teams feel seen.
It was a Sunday. A deadline. A threat disguised as a negotiation.
A major television network had been in talks with our team, and they had leverage. If we didn't sign their deal by end of day, they were prepared to hold our customers hostage. They knew it would overwhelm our call centre. They knew the cost. They were counting on us to blink.
They also tried to weaponize an improper early termination against us. They believed they held every card.
What they didn't know was what we were building on our end of the table.
While they were boarding their plane, our lawyer was already walking into court.
The moment we understood that a reasonable agreement wasn't coming, our team moved. They filed in appeals court. No phones. No wifi on that flight. No way to reach us, and no way to stop what was already in motion.
When the plane landed, their phones were ringing off the hook.
We didn't win the deal that day. The contract was signed a week later. But when we reconvened as a team and looked around the room at what we had pulled off together, we celebrated. Not the outcome. The strategy.
Why We're Afraid to Celebrate Early
There's a belief wired into a lot of high performers: you don't pop the champagne until it's done. Until the ink is dry. Until the number is confirmed.
That belief has real roots. Nobody wants to tempt fate. Nobody wants to look out of touch when things fall apart in the final hour. And in competitive environments, premature celebration can feel like a loss of edge.
But here's what that belief costs you: