Pause to infuse joy in the journey.

Celebration is not boastful.  Quite the contrary.  It is a way to reward yourself or the team for a job well done with the added bonus of boosting confidence, increasing motivation and building camaraderie.

Have you ever had to tackle a project that you’ve been dreading?  It just doesn’t excite you, but you know it needs to get done.  What do you do to get through it?  You focus on the reward waiting for you after completing it.

For some, it’s an intrinsic reward, the satisfaction of knowing you took the time to do it well, created something amazing, did something that will help others or checked something off your list.

For others, it’s an extrinsic reward.  You look forward to that mocha latte, glass of wine or [insert favorite drink here}; going out with friends, snuggling up on the couch with all the best movie watching essentials; or [insert favorite after work activity here].

Whether you focus on an intrinsic or extrinsic reward, just knowing there’s a reward waiting for you at the end of your work will help you stay focused and energized.

The same goes for team accomplishments. 

When you work hard as a team to achieve something and then move on to the next project and then the next project without standing back to recognize your accomplishment, you eventually suffer from burnout and begin to question the effort you are putting in.  Morale and dedication slip away over time.

Instead, take the time out to celebrate successes big and small.  This can be anything from a small gathering in the conference room to voice and applaud the accomplishment to a large public event with no expense spared.  But, what’s key is that the team must actually want the reward and find it meaningful, or there will be no positive effect. 

It’s important to consider your team’s preferences, personalities and dynamics when considering how to celebrate.  I use a survey at work to find out how my team members prefer to be recognized and celebrate as a team and then rotate activities among the top preferences.  The most popular have been dining out and having a team day out (go carting, bowling, attending a sports event, hitting the beach, spending time in nature, solving escape rooms, etc.).

You’d be surprised how much taking the time to celebrate has a lasting impact.  Infuse joy in the journey and people will never forget how it feels to hit pause on the busyness to savor the satisfaction of a job well done.