How Celebrating Success and Keeping Your Sense of Humor Can Help You Get Through Tough Times

Two unique characteristics of many high-performing military teams, be they fighter squadrons, special ops units, or Marine recon units, are that they take time to celebrate their success and keep their sense of humor in the darkest of times.

It’s not only a way to deflect distress in stressful, life-or-death situations but also a way to manage stress effectively.

Have you noticed that every November 10th, all around the globe, United States Marines, both young and old, salute the birthday of the Corps? (HAPPY 247TH BIRTHDAY, MARINES!) Whether celebrating at a formal Marine Corps Ball or in individual toasts to lost Marines, they recognize the sacrifice and service of those who have gone before and those who continue to serve. Yet, interestingly, they celebrate this day as a birthday, not an anniversary—in recognition of the Marine Corps as a living, breathing entity.?

As the daughter of a Marine aviator, this celebration was always on our calendar.

A unique story of that highlights the importance and tradition of that celebration—combined with humor—comes from USMC aviator Captain Orson Swindle.?

(For context, Capt. Swindle endured over seven years as a POW during the Vietnam War.)

French colonists originally used H?a Lò Prison in French Indochina for political prisoners. Later used by the North Vietnamese to house US prisoners of war, it was one of the most brutal POW camps during the Vietnam War; and referred to as “Hanoi Hilton.”?

While captive at the “Hanoi Hilton” (the same place where Vice Admiral Stockdale was held) and during one spectacularly fierce ten-day interrogation, Capt. Swindle’s captors claimed the U.S. had no culturally relevant holidays. However, he convinced them that it did: a “National Doughnut Day” celebrated on November 10th.?

A few months later, on November 10th, all the POWs in the Hanoi Hilton were served up a few little doughnut-like treats.?

What Capt. Swindle and the other POWs knew, and their captors did not, was that November 10th was the United States Marine Corps’ birthday...

Finding humor in the darkest times can be a lifeline.?It releases stress and can bridge isolation, inspire creativity, and even break crushing boredom.?

Don’t underestimate the power of humor— it helps you maintain perspective.?

Whenever one of my teammates or I were about to share a scary, funny, or bad flight story, we would always begin with the line, “There I was, five hundred knots, out of gas and out of ideas.” It would always be met with hoots and howls or an “Oh boy” because joking about what was to come was also a way to acknowledge that we’d survived something sketchy or dangerous, and were trying to embrace it.

That bit of optimistic spin at the start was a way of letting everyone else know: no matter what, you can survive too.?

Too often, I work with teams that move too quickly from one goal to the next, from one challenge to another, without ever even taking the time to acknowledge the excellent work done.

Celebrating success and keeping your sense of humor—even if it means doughnuts thousands of miles from home—are hallmarks of high-performing teams. Great leaders, whether on the front-line or in the C Suite, celebrate their team’s success, so people feel proud about what they do and realize they are part of a high-performance team.

Challenges can become catalysts for growth when met with the right attitude.?

Hard times and uncertainty can stir up fear in most of us. But the ability to adapt under pressure and to stay solutions-oriented will always serve you well.

Your mindset, the one thing that is always within your Span of Control, will determine what is possible for you, your team, your organization, and your family.

As a leader, make sure to take the time to acknowledge your teams’ good work.

During times of uncertainty and high-ops tempo, if you’re not taking a second to say, “Thank you,” that’s a lost opportunity to boost morale, to remind your team that the work they do matters, and to show that you value them.

A well-timed ‘great job,’ ‘outstanding,’ and ‘good on ya!’ cost very little, but teammates who don’t feel valued can cost you everything.