Yesterday was the 4th of July for us in the United States. It is a wonderful time to celebrate our nation’s independence with family and friends.
My favorites from 4th of July
There are two things that I enjoy the most about this holiday, the food and the people.
First off, it doesn’t get any better than American barbecue, but for some reason, I like the simple hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, and an iced cold beverage. I apologize for my simplicity here, but it’s what I like.
Second, the Americana decor people wear, decorate their homes, their cars, and their bikes with is nostalgic. It is fun! Red, white, and blue garb… bandanas, clothing, necklaces, wigs… you name it. People get festive.
OK… there’s a third thing… Country music! None of the sappy, pop stuff. Some of the more classic country and bluegrass. That’s my style.
Celebrations?
This makes me think of reasons why we celebrate and how we celebrate them.
Have you ever wondered if you should celebrate something? You might have a feeling that something important and greater than oneself happened. Then, once you decide that you will put on a celebration, what are you going to do?
For a holiday, like the 4th of July, it comes pretty easy. Americans celebrate our independence. We celebrate with American flags, food, family & friends, parades, and fireworks as the standard. Sounds awesome! Right?
How about with something that is not a national holiday that is more work-related?
Celebrating achievements
Work-related celebrations can be less obvious to us.
First, it can be less obvious to determine what ought to be something celebrated. This requires to understand the culture and social norms within the organization.
For example, I was previously in an organization that celebrated nothing. Work was work and not fun! For some reason, the leaders of that organization tried to remove as much human emotion from the work. Their organization was not healthy nor successful.
In another organization, they celebrated everything from birthdays, births, marriages, and product launches. That same organization celebrated a Friday having very nice weather in the springtime... they told us to try to leave work early to enjoy being outside. That organization had a lot more cohesion and success.
Second, it can be hard to determine how to celebrate the achievement. Depending on the size of your team or organization, it can get complex pretty quick with the various people and personalities to consider. This is where finding people that are skilled at understanding people, celebrations, and planning comes in handy.
For me, I’m better at recognizing the need to celebrate than I am at the putting together of the celebration. I have needed to lean on others to help plan and pull off celebrations of achievements.
What I have learned through celebration is that it takes a village to rise to the occasion. Those celebrations are a great way to provide encouragement, connection, and acknowledgement. People have a need to be seen, understood, and cared for. Celebrations can take a role in that.
One other thing that I have learned as the leader of an organization or team hosting a celebration is that it must come from the heart and externalize your gratitude for the people and their abilities. It must say to them, “I see how awesome you are and I want you to feel joy and delight because of it! You rock!”
How about you? What celebrations have you experienced that made you feel acknowledged and like a rockstar? It could be a holiday or work-related celebration. Let’s share with one another so we can grow and learn together.
You are a force of awesome! Go be a force of awesome!
Let’s go!
I am an executive/leadership coach working with high-achieving business owners, leaders, and their teams that are working on getting to their next level of performance. You might sense that what got you here might not get you to the next achievement. Want to connect? Contact me here.
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