I was traveling around St. Patrick’s Day, and as I ate dinner and listened to some Irish music, I noticed a T-shirt that was a promotional item for Guinness beer that announced the celebration. It was a chic T-shirt. However, it’s the tagline I was most impressed with. It said:
Celebrate as you mean it.
I’ve been unable to remove that sentence from my head since.
Leaders of organizations think about celebrations often. Perhaps not the kind Guinness thought of when he wrote that line. However, they certainly are thinking about celebrations. They contemplate the timing, what, and how to mark the occasion. Sometimes, they are successful—however, most of the time, they do not.
The importance of celebrations is obvious, however more important is managing celebrations in a proper manner.
The four factors that were mentioned earlier (what is the best time, date, and what to do about it), What to celebrate, and the best way to celebrate are the most important for you to think about. However, let’s start with the fundamentals that explain why we are celebrating in the first beginning.
Why you should celebrate – Take a look at the underlying purpose
There are at least three good reasons to celebrate your business:
to remember achievements and accomplishments.
To celebrate people’s accomplishments and their contributions.
To appreciate people.
When you consider these objectives, especially within the context of an organization, it becomes easier to determine the best time to celebrate.
However, before we get specific about this, take a look back at the last five occasions you organized or took part in the celebration and what the stated purpose was. Also, perhaps more important is, what were the circumstances where you didn’t have the opportunity to take part in a celebration, and based on the above criteria and could have done?
When to Celebrate – Take a Look at your motives
Take a look at any book that discusses team development, employee engagement, or project management, and you’ll discover that celebrating is important. There are plenty of lists of reasons to celebrate, which generally include:
Have a celebration the moment you . . .
Aim for the goal.
You can reach an achievement.
You can gain a major client.
Launch a new product.
You can win an award.
These are likely to be obvious times to be thankful (in part because experts have repeatedly reminded us). The majority of organizations have something to celebrate at these kinds of “big successes.” But if you think about the purpose of the event, there are many other occasions you can have a celebration. What if you were celebrating in the following ways:
Who worked extremely to be ablaze?
Did people delight a customer?
Do the people who work for you live your values in a unique and significant way?
Do you think people deserve to be praised?
Has a milestone been reached by people even though the project isn’t finished at this point?
Each list could be more extensive – however, please note a significant distinction. This list first is focused on accomplishment and achievement, while the other is about people. This list of lists is one of the obvious occasions to celebrate. The second list could be more surprising and will be more meaningful to the ones being honored.
Celebrations that are successful happen when you’re celebrating with the right motivation, and the reasons are clear to all those who are part of the celebration.
What to do to celebrate – Take a look at Your Attitude.
Have you ever been to a party which didn’t go well? It’s likely that it wasn’t because of the cake, the punch, or the surroundings. The main reason celebrations fail is that the people are just doing their thing.
For example, if the leader is late to arrive and announces his or her decision, and then rushes to the meeting.
The reason for the celebration isn’t entirely clear.
It has also been delayed three times.
These are just a few examples of celebrations turning stale and without passion. In the end, these “celebrations” affect motivation, morale, and enthusiasm more than they aid.
If you wish to have a successful celebration, you have to be honest and authentic about the motive to celebrate. Be gracious and grateful to those who are part of it. Your remarks must be genuine, and you must be present at the moment, participating in the joyous feelings of the occasion.
Another article may be written (and I’ll likely write it) on the best ways to celebrate since not all celebrations can be (or ought to be) designed equally.
Whatever you choose to do, however, the key element to the success of any celebration is the catchy tagline on the T-shirt. If you wish to make your celebrations meaningful, then celebrate them as you’re serious about it.
