Do You Take Time to Celebrate?

Many of us are still leading teams remotely. With all the video conference calls we need to be on, there is a chance we are pulling back from some of the critical opportunities that create connection. Taking agenda time, to socialize and celebrate both personal and professional successes and milestones, is critical for your team members and the team as a whole as it Energizes Action.

As a leader, we want to remember that, when dealing with people, the focus is to be effective not efficient. Thus, when you make time for personal and professional success and milestones, you are building individual efficacy and team connections that strengthen the team’s performance, as well as a sense of belonging.

Giving time to share and celebrate personal milestones or achievements, outside of the workflow, was a normal part of the daily water cooler conversation. Making space for this in your video conference meetings keeps those informal connections between team members growing. These interactions produce positive emotions, stronger positive memories and reduces anxiety for our team members.

Many professional achievements get sent around by email. However, taking the time to socialize them in your meetings not only provides the same benefits as the personal sharing above, but helps to create more certainty for the success and viability of the business.

As the leader, how you manage this process is key to creating stronger relationships vs. competitiveness. When you are in team meetings, you want to draw both personal and professional successes out of the group. You are creating a culture of sharing and celebrating together. Milestones, like work anniversaries and birthdays, are key areas where you can take the lead.

When work achievements are shared, these are opportunities for you. Connect the success to following the strategy, identify the behavior of innovation or getting out of their comfort zone that you want to reinforce and encourage more in the team. Focus on the behavior and thank people for their performance and avoid comparisons among your team members.

Celebrations take time, but they Energize Action by building positive emotions and bonding, while they create a greater sense of teamwork.