The Snack BOxD May Digest - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Leadership and Meaningful Celebration

This is Snack BOxD, a highly digestible digest from me, Nenuca, CEO at Better Organizations by Design (BOxD). Every month I send a round-up of ideas and insights on how to create healthy, high-performing organizations. If you like this kind of thing or found me by accident, get your snack on and subscribe here.

On the menu this month: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Leadership and Meaningful Celebration. I explore why celebration might not appear to come naturally to some leaders (present party included!), why it matters anyway, and how to celebrate to drive organizational outcomes

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through 2024? My guess is that if you are like most of the leaders that I have the pleasure of working with, your goals for the second half of the year (perhaps even next year’s goals) are already top of mind.

I’ve been on the road for a good part of the first half of the year, and that has given me the pleasure of having many face to face conversations with leaders across companies and industries.?

I started noticing a trend during these chats… These caring, humble, and team-oriented leaders weren’t naturally inclined to celebrate all the wins that their teams, companies, and especially they as individuals have had. I also observed that the higher up in the organization they were, the less likely it was that celebration was their default reaction to success. To clarify, the overwhelming majority of these leaders were absolutely celebrating and recognizing their people. It just wasn’t the first or even second thing that they thought of.?

This isn’t quite the usual scientific study I usually lean on, but these stories were enough to pull me into deeper reflection and analysis. I deeply relate to their experience. I am almost embarrassed* to admit it given what I do for a living, but celebration isn’t my first instinct either. As a leader, it used to fill me with guilt and disappointment in myself.

*I say “almost” because my desire to share new ways of thinking with you outweighs any feelings of personal embarrassment.

When Celebrations ARE the Challenge

We KNOW celebrations are important for organizational culture and for managing morale. So then, despite being “good” people, why are some of us “bad” at celebrating as leaders? Let me offer some potential explanations:??

1. High Standards and Perfectionism - Leaders with high standards may constantly push for improvement and view celebrations as distractions or premature. They might believe that recognition should only come once the ultimate goal is achieved.
2. Strong Future Orientation - Some leaders are very future-oriented. Having summited one mountain, their eyes are fixed on the next and what needs to be done to climb it.?
3. Fear of Complacency - Some leaders worry if achievements are overly celebrated, it might reduce the drive and motivation to keep improving and striving for excellence.?
4. Pressure and Stress - Leaders often operate under significant pressure to deliver results, which can make it hard to find time or mental space to celebrate. The constant pressure can overshadow moments of success, making them seem less significant in the grand scheme of things.
5. Cultural Norms - In some cultures, modesty and humility are valued, and overt celebration may be seen as boastful. As one leader from Australia shared with me, “You never want to be the tallest poppy in the field.”? Or, recognition and celebration may not currently be part of an organization’s culture, so the leaders follow suit and deprioritize these practices. (Please note: Leaders, you are one of the most consequential shapers of culture.)
6. Personal Disposition - More introverted leaders may not enjoy large events and would prefer to recognize achievements in more private or subdued ways. Also, some people are naturally more reserved and may find it difficult to show excitement, even if they recognize the value of an accomplishment.
7. Lack of Awareness or Skill - Some leaders might simply lack the know-how or confidence to celebrate appropriately, or they might not recognize the significance of certain achievements without input from others.
8. Previous Negative Experiences -Past experiences with celebrations that didn’t go well, were poorly received, or led to unintended consequences can make leaders hesitant to celebrate in the future. They may have encountered backlash or felt that celebrations were not appreciated.

The Psychological Basis for Recognition?

The need for recognition is deeply rooted in human psychology.? When we neglect to celebrate, people can feel forgotten and undervalued, both on an individual and collective level.

Psychological research generally agrees that recognition boosts self-esteem and fosters a sense of belonging.? When employees receive acknowledgement for their efforts, it validates their hard work and reinforces their value to the team. This validation is crucial for maintaining high levels of engagement and motivation.? Furthermore, recognition strengthens the emotional connection between employees and the organization, enhancing loyalty and reducing turnover.

Second, recognition and celebration make explicit what is desired, both as it relates to behaviors and outcomes. We want to encourage certain behaviors (e.g., putting the customer first, taking accountability, creative problem solving, etc.), and celebrations highlight for everyone what we want to see more of.

Criteria for Celebrating: FIREWORK

When we think about celebrating at work, we often think about the lowest hanging fruit (birthdays, major life events, work anniversaries, etc). But what I am talking about isn’t acknowledging only the personal milestones but rather recognizing and celebrating our teams’ achievements with intentionality and purpose. Celebration isn’t just a feel-good exercise—it’s a crucial component of fostering a positive organizational culture and driving long-term success.?

I also understand fears of “over-celebrating,” i.e., if you celebrate too much or too often, the meaningfulness of each celebration begins to diminish. Here are a few questions to help you decide when it’s time to celebrate and maximize the benefits for your team and company culture.?

• Future - Does this success align with the future we want (our long-term vision and goals)?
• Improvement - Is this a significant improvement over previous performance or past results?
• Resilience - Did this accomplishment require significant effort or overcome a major challenge?
• Exemplar - Does this set a positive example or standard for future work?
• Win - Did this success positively impact our clients or stakeholders or help us gain a competitive advantage?
• Observation - Did this success involve behaviors we want to reinforce and see more of across the team or organization??
• Risk-taking - Did this success require individuals to demonstrate courage and step out of their comfort zones?
• Knit - Did this require strong teamwork and collaboration?

Strategies for Celebrating Success

Once we begin to understand our personal approach to celebration, we can start to create strategies for genuine celebration that are authentic to who we are as leaders and what our people need. Here are a few ideas to help make celebration a routine and healthy part of your business processes, at the individual, team, and company levels:

1.Vary celebrations across big and small: While major milestones are important, celebrating smaller, incremental successes can sustain motivation and momentum.

• Individual: Encourage teammates to recognize their own small wins.?
• Team: Whether it’s completing a project phase or making a highly consequential decision that affects the future direction of the project, acknowledging these steps keeps the team motivated.
• Organizational: Recognize organizational achievements in different forums (town halls, email announcements, video messages from leaders, etc.)

2. Be Specific and Sincere: General praise can feel hollow. Specific, sincere recognition is more impactful.

• Individual: When recognizing an individual’s efforts, highlight particular achievements and the behaviors that led to them.?
• Team: Draw attention to how the team worked together, what key actions they took to be successful, and the results that they made possible.?
• Organizational: At the company level, recognize departments or cross-functional teams for their achievements. Provide concrete examples of how their work aligns with organizational goals and values.

3. Encourage Peer Recognition: Empower team members to recognize each other’s contributions.

• Individual: Create opportunities for teammates to share their appreciation for colleagues. This could be through informal shout-outs or a formal peer recognition program.
• Team: Remember the teams that are in the background and find ways to celebrate their impact on your clients and the organization. Consider spotlighting them on your company intranet or giving a glimpse into the work they do during an all company meeting.
• Organizational: Implement company-wide peer recognition platforms where teammates can recognize and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

4. Personalize Recognition: Tailor celebrations to individual preferences.

• Individual: Understand how each person prefers to be recognized. Some may appreciate public acknowledgment, while others might prefer a private note or a tangible reward.
• Team: Customize team celebrations based on the team’s culture and preferences. This might involve team outings, shared meals, or collaborative recognition activities.
• Organizational: Offer a variety of recognition options to cater to different preferences across the organization. This could include awards, personalized messages from leadership, or public recognition during company events.

Celebration and recognition are not just about creating feel-good moments. They are strategic practices that ensure that a) success is not just achieved but reflected upon and that b) our people (without whom our businesses could not thrive) feel valued, motivated, and seen.?

And to my fellow drivers and achievers, I know that for us - to quote Miley Cyrus’ song The Climb - “there’s always gonna be another mountain and you’re always going to wanna make it move,” please remember to celebrate yourselves, too!?

More Resources

• Recognition and Appreciation Profile
• Why managing empathy has become just as important as managing your P&L?
• How to reset a fatigued team and what could happen if you don't?
• Tackling Dark Personality Traits in the Workplace
• How to lead through big change without sacrificing results
• What a 35 year-old shoebox taught me about culture and the power of rituals
• From Family Tables to Office Desks: How Do You Create Belonging?