When you work in a team, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to celebrate the wins. But as a leader, it's your job to make sure that you're recognizing and celebrating both big and small wins whenever possible. Doing this helps to build teamwork, motivate employees, and increase productivity.
It could be as simple as a round of applause or a high-five, but you can take celebrations as far as you deem necessary. Here are some ideas for how to make sure everyone feels appreciated:
- Take time for lunch once a month to highlight the recent individual successes of each employee. Make sure to get everyone involved – not just the top performers!
- Host an occasional happy hour. This can be something small right after work or a bigger event at a nice restaurant.
- Send out an email newsletter with pictures of all the fun things people have been up to and stories about their accomplishments, including shoutouts when someone goes above and beyond. This can also be done via collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams or Slack.
- Create a team leaderboard with different categories and rewards for each. Watching teams work together to hit specific goals can create strong morale.
No matter what you choose, know that it will go far. Celebrating wins is important for your organization because it helps everyone feel like they're a part of something greater than themselves. It also helps people feel like their contributions are worth something, and that their efforts are appreciated. Before you begin celebrating, though, there are a few steps to consider:
1. Have something ready for when a big win happens.
Plan to order pizza or make a cupcake run if you're celebrating with a small group, or maybe you'll have time to plan something bigger if you're doing it with the whole company. The point is that you want to be prepared so that there's no delay in celebrating when you get good news.
2. Consider what kind of celebration would be appropriate for your company culture.
Consider the values, traditions, and atmosphere that define your organization. You might opt for a lively and informal celebration like a team-building day at an amusement park or a casual outdoor barbecue. On the other hand, a more traditional group with a formal culture might prefer a sophisticated dinner event at a high-end venue. The key is to ensure that the celebration aligns with the overall ethos of the company to foster a sense of unity and camaraderie.
3. Keep everyone informed.
Be sure that those who will be involved in the celebration know what they need to do before, during and after the celebration. This will help make sure that everything runs smoothly, and no one is put on the spot unexpectedly that doesn’t want to be.
4. Make sure you have support from management.
If your company has a culture of celebrating achievements, then it's likely that management will be supportive. But if they aren't, don't be discouraged! Sometimes it can take time to build support for something new. And if you're just starting out with celebrations or want to incorporate them into your organization's culture, then management may not yet understand how powerful they can be.
Conclusion
The benefits are incredible when you’re able to celebrate wins within the workplace, especially for retaining employees, as well as attracting new ones. When you celebrate wins with your team, it helps them feel valued and appreciated – two things that are essential to keeping employees happy and engaged at work.
