Day 66 of 100 Days of Growth: Celebrating Behaviours and Outcomes—Finding the Right Balance with the Celebration Grid

In our professional journeys, it's common to focus heavily on outcomes. Successes are applauded, and failures are often swept under the rug. However, this outcome-centric mindset can discourage experimentation and stifle innovation. Conversely, solely celebrating good intentions or behaviours without considering outcomes can lead to complacency and a lack of accountability.

Finding the right balance between celebrating desired behaviours and acknowledging outcomes is crucial for sustainable growth.

Recently, I explored the concept of the Celebration Grid, a tool introduced by Management 3.0 around 2016. This framework offers a balanced approach to recognising both the behaviours that lead to growth and the outcomes they produce.

The Pitfalls of Extreme Focus

Outcome-Only Focus: When organisations concentrate solely on outcomes, teams may fear failure and avoid taking risks, leading to stagnation.

Behaviour-Only Focus: On the flip side, if we celebrate good behaviours without regard for outcomes, we risk encouraging actions that don't contribute effectively to our goals. This can lead to a lack of accountability and inefficient use of resources.

Neither extreme is healthy or sustainable. We need a balanced approach that values both the behaviours that promote growth and the outcomes that move us forward.

Introducing the Celebration Grid

The Celebration Grid is a tool designed to help teams reflect on their actions by considering both behaviours and outcomes. It was developed by Management 3.0, a movement focused on redefining leadership and management to create happier, more productive workplaces.

The Grid Structure:

• Behaviours:

○ Good Practices: Established methods known to yield positive results.

○ Experiments: New approaches tested to discover better solutions.

○ Mistakes: Deviations from good practices or poorly planned actions.

• Outcomes:

○ Success

○ Failure

By mapping behaviours against outcomes, the grid provides a comprehensive view of where genuine learning and improvement occur.

Walking Through the Grid Tiles One by One

A: Mistake Behaviour + Successful Outcome

• The success resulted from pure luck, despite a mistake in behaviour. There's little to learn and not much to celebrate here.

B: Experiment Behaviour + Successful Outcome

• The success is the result of a well-designed experiment. It's worth celebrating both the learning achieved and the successful outcome.

C: Good Practice Behaviour + Successful Outcome

• The previous learning has been fostered into solid practice, leading to a successful outcome. Celebrate the outcome, but note that learning is minimal here except for fine-tuning the practices.

D: Mistake Behaviour + Failed Outcome

• Not much learning occurs because it was not a planned or designed experiment but just a mistake. The outcome is undesired, and the learning is limited.

E: Experiment Behaviour + Failed Outcome

• The failure is acceptable, as it resulted from a well-designed experiment. Celebrate the learning gained, which can improve the chance of success next time.

F: Good Practice Behaviour + Failed Outcome

• The previous learning has been fostered into solid practice, but bad luck leads to a failed outcome. Since learning is minimal here except for fine-tuning the practices, there's not much to celebrate.

Why Balance Matters

A balanced approach ensures that:

• Innovation is Encouraged: Celebrating well-planned experiments, regardless of the outcome, fosters a culture of innovation.
• Accountability is Maintained: Recognising outcomes ensures that teams remain focused on achieving goals and delivering results.
• Learning is Maximised: Both successful and unsuccessful outcomes provide valuable lessons when analysed alongside the behaviours that led to them.

Striking the Right Balance with the Celebration Grid

The Celebration Grid helps teams:

• Acknowledge Successful Good Practices:

○ Celebrate when established methods lead to positive outcomes, reinforcing effective behaviours.

• Appreciate Valuable Experiments:

○ Recognise well-thought-out experiments, even if they fail, as they contribute to learning and future success.

• Learn from Mistakes:

○ When mistakes lead to failure, focus on understanding what went wrong to prevent recurrence.

• Avoid Ignoring Outcomes:

○ Ensure that good intentions are aligned with desired results to maintain accountability and efficiency.

Implementing the Celebration Grid in Your Team During Retrospective Sessions

• Draw the Grid:

○ Create a grid with behaviours on one axis (Good Practice, Experiment, Mistake) and outcomes on the other (Success, Failure).

• Collect Examples:

○ Have team members identify recent actions and place them in the appropriate cells.

• Facilitate Discussion:

○ Use the grid to discuss what worked, what didn't, and why.

• Celebrate and Learn:

○ Celebrate successes and valuable experiments.

○ Analyse failures for lessons learned.

Retrospectives provide an ideal setting for this tool, offering a safe environment for open dialogue and continuous improvement.

Conclusion

By balancing the celebration of both behaviours and outcomes, we cultivate a culture that encourages innovation, maintains accountability, and promotes continuous learning. The Celebration Grid offers a practical framework to achieve this balance, helping teams to grow and succeed sustainably.

Call to Action

Have you tried using the Celebration Grid or a similar tool in your organisation? How do you balance celebrating desired behaviours with acknowledging outcomes? I'd love to hear your experiences and insights!

Let's celebrate not just what we achieve, but also how we achieve it—striking the right balance for sustainable growth.

#ContinuousImprovement #LearningCulture #Management30 #CelebrationGrid #BalancedLeadership #100DaysOfGrowth