The Value of Celebration

Goals. Deadlines.  Quotas.  Sales targets.  We spend a good deal of our professional lives pursuing these objectives.  But what happens when we successfully accomplish these achievements?  How do we keep ourselves motivated to set even bigger and bolder goals?  How do we recharge our batteries?  How do we zoom out to put things in perspective?

This is where the tires hit the road when it comes to the value of celebration. The value of celebration is far reaching, and according to research firm Battalia Winston, the number of companies spending money on celebrations is growing. Here are some of the ways celebration can make a positive impact on your organization.

Maintaining Motivation and Retaining Talent
In their book, The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner write, “Exemplary leaders know that promoting a culture of celebration fuels the sense of unity essential for retaining and motivating today’s workforce.”  Effective leaders keep their teams engaged by celebrating today’s success before delivering tomorrow’s objective.

Stress and Productivity
Celebration is an opportunity to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, and gratitude has powerful effects on our performance.  According to research by professors from UC Davis and University of Miami, people with an attitude of gratitude experience less stress, more energy, better sleep, improved physical health, and make superior progress toward accomplishing goals.

Building Company Culture
Celebrations are an opportunity to stand behind your company values and establish the integrity of your organization.  If your company says it values its employees’ wellbeing and happiness, celebrations are a way to walk the talk.  If your organization values collaboration and effectiveness, then it’s also worth noting that Kouzes and Posner repeatedly highlight the fact that celebrations are critical to teamwork and trust.

Growing Relationships
Celebrations can be an opportunity for employees to interact with each other outside of their day to day professional roles. This is a golden opportunity for building bonds and growing social capital. Personal connections can lead to insights that help us work together in more effective ways, paying dividends down the road when the next goal is on the horizon.

Saying Thanks
Who doesn’t appreciate a hearty thank you?  Celebrating success is a great way to let your team know how much you appreciate them. And if you can’t get behind the value of saying thank you just for the sake of saying thank you, numerous research articles point out that employees who feel acknowledged are more motivated, more productive, and more resilient.

Remember, celebration can take many forms.  It doesn’t have to be a big year-end party or a company holiday team-building event.  We can take the opportunity to celebrate goals both big and small, in ways both boisterous and quiet.  So however you and your team will be celebrating this year, all of us here at Sewa Beats wish you a happy season of celebration!