‘Tis the season to lead celebration

It’s no secret that this time of the year is jam-packed with festivity. Beyond Christmas, there are still birthdays and weddings and plenty of other parties to fit into your social calendar, as well as celebrations for teams who have exceeded their strategic goals. 

While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of events, it’s also a reminder that celebration is essential and leaders should be driving celebration in all its forms in the life of an organisation – all year ‘round. 

Recognition, reward and celebration drive engagement 

Earlier this year, Reward Gateway launched their Workplace Engagement Index. Their research found that 61% of Australians do not frequently feel recognised within their workplace, while 65% would not describe their managers as appreciative towards them or the work they do. 

Perhaps these statistics on their own don’t shock you. It’s clear, however, that recognition is the factor on which team engagement hinges. 

According to this Workhuman research when recognition is low, your team is 3x more likely to be actively disengaged in their work, 39% more likely to be planning to leave your organisation within a year and 24% more likely to be struggling at work. 

Leaders can’t afford to wait until Christmas to celebrate their team’s achievements. Celebration and recognition should be happening all year, embedded into the life of your team so that leaders are conscious of milestones and bring them to the forefront to: 

• Maintain morale
• Show appreciation 
• Remind the team that the organisation is progressing 
• Give the team motivation to keep moving forward 

Organisational celebration must be meaningful

Throwing a party is fun and your team will enjoy it, but it’s not about celebrating for the sake of it. It has to be about more than an open bar and a free meal. 

Birthdays and work anniversaries are great milestones to celebrate in smaller ways that show your team you care.

Celebrating the accomplishments of your team as a whole are even more important! Maybe it’s a lunch out together at the end of the quarter to celebrate hitting your strategic or financial goals. Perhaps it’s a big party to celebrate a major financial goal or a smaller celebration to recognise the effort put into reaching sustainability goals. 

Every organisation has goals and, if you’re successful, you’re likely reaching those goals with some regularity. Use them as opportunities to celebrate in big or small ways. These celebrations go a long way in showing your team you appreciate their work and motivating them to move towards the next goal. 

Want to know how you can effectively celebrate your team? People Make the Difference can help. To find out more, visit www.pmtd.com.au or call us on 0412 333 415. Try our online leadership training videos – $99 for complete access. Great value if you’re committed to growing your leadership potential.