Celebrate!

Yesterday I excitedly joined the crowds on my street to watch the Olympic Torch on its long "run" across Canada. Not only a symbol of everything Olympic, the Torch should symbolize how important it is to celebrate all achievement.

In one of my most successful projects, our team relied on dozens of people in our organization to contribute their skills and work. Included our project schedule were regular celebrations.

Once a quarter we invited a wide range of people who had contributed during that quarter to a recognition event. Key to this approach was recognizing and thanking people in a timely fashion. The usual approach of holding one big celebration at project completion would have been inadequate. It is too easy for both organizers and contributors to forget individuals who contributed early on but were not part of the completion. Also, in our approach people who contributed the most were recognized the most.

The celebration event was neither elaborate nor expensive - about the level of coffee and cookies in a room off the cafeteria. Appreciation was expressed verbally, except for the work of significant contributors who would no longer be involved. Their contributions were recognized by a letter to the individual, copied to their boss and their department head. Other, more formal celebrations were occasionally held; however, these low-cost events were of the greatest value. Participants relaxed together and renewed acquaintances - then synergy took over and new collaborative ideas increased the project's effectiveness.