Why should you celebrate (even the smallest wins)? 🍷

Brunch Day for the Product Team, Kueski (2018)

It is in the nature of some of us to be extremely competitive creatures.

At times we get so hyped about certain projects that we embark on a journey to make it happen, ideate, sketch, create, iterate, ship… And once we release things (a product idea, a new process, an improvement) to the market we’re tempted to just return to the backlog, grab another item and do it all over again. However… Isn’t there more to it than just finish, wrap things up and continue?

A while ago I listened to this podcast by Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative where he states that:

When we lack seasonality in our life, when our life is one long stream of projects, of mountains to be climbed or one long stream of tasks to be accomplished and there’s no demarcation, no rhythm, no seasonality in our work… We can begin to lose the very motivation we need to be able to bring our best work every day. We can begin to feel it’s useless even if we enjoy the work, even if we feel like we are making progress… Because there’s no contrast… We require contrast in order to be able to function.

As Todd mentions it, we’re not machines and if we treat our team like that, we will eventually see there’s a direct impact on their motivation and it’s all because things “do not change” a lot. Taking time to recuperate, breathe and recharge our batteries in order to start all over again, it’s vital.

So, if now you are looking for a way to help your team take a break and let things chill for a while… Here’s a list of ideas that could help you to make it happen:

1. Have a brunch meeting! Get out of the “work” environment and experience with your team going to a different place (ideally somewhere that none of you already know). Remember that it can be typically overlooked by highly effective teams to slow down to recover, however you need to be able to relax, unwind a bit and enjoy a glass of sparkly wine (or orange juice if you prefer) while you get to know your teammates in a more personal way outside of the regular work stress.
2. Have a coffee day! Celebration isn’t just about padding everyone on the back, it’s a time for you to acknowledge in front of your team that you are aware of what they are doing and that their outcomes are part of something bigger than them. Schedule a date and for the whole duration of it work outside the office, perhaps at a local coffee shop or somewhere with a good connection, comfy chairs and a lot of room for them to share their experiences or even take time to finish that talk you left pending since you were so busy in and out of meetings previously.
3. Have a toast! It’s important to feel seen and known. No one wants to work long and hard to have what they created put in a shelve and archived in the dark. No! Elevate the accomplishments you have seen in your team, even if the project is not yet finished or is not perfect, they have put a lot of effort into it. Take a moment to recognize this in front of everyone and thank them personally. They will be very grateful for your candor.

Finally, think about what did you learn throughout this process and how are you going to apply it again once the time comes. Remember who discovered something that will be extremely valuable when you start again, document it, it will provide lots of value for upcoming projects.

And once you do all of the steps above, place your mind and your team’s into the next big thing. We can’t afford to be overly sentimental about the past. Cherish the present, celebrate the outcomes (the good and the bad) and continue working towards a better future!