Time to celebrate?Celebrate

I met with a Managing Director of a £9m business last week. Since 2009 he and his team had grown the business organically from £5m. His concerns were typical of any business. Ensuring adequate cash flow. Attracting and retaining top talent. Increasing revenues and profitability.

The interesting thing was, from my perspective at least, at no time had they celebrated any kind of success. Despite the fact that they had survived, and grown, through one of the worst recessions in living memory!

And I think they were missing something very important.

We can get so focussed on trying to achieve the next target, we forget to celebrate achieving the last one.

Celebrations mark an event. They state – hey – we’ve achieved something here. Let’s celebrate it! The birth of a baby, a birthday, a wedding or survival. Celebrations are remembered long after the event and promote a sense of gratitude. Even the smallest celebration can make a big difference to our outlook. Reminds us of how far we’ve come.

Work is where we spend a significant amount of our time. Our staff have lived through deeply uncertain times – not knowing if they would be laid off for no fault of their own. Salaries have been frozen. Hours changed. Stress a constant companion. But you know what? You survived! And your staff were a big part of the reason you survived.

Time to celebrate : ideas

It doesn’t need to cost a lot to celebrate and increase employee engagement now that you’ve reached this far. Here are some options covering different budgets;

Cheaper options

  • Bacon cobs or cakes on Friday
  • Give everyone an extra 2 hours to do as they please this month
  • Bring in bottles of fizz last thing Friday
  • Ask people to bake cakes and bring them in Friday

More expensive options

  • Arrange a company Fun Day
  • Organise an evening meal and pay for everyone and their partners
  • £25 gift voucher for everyone

Summary

Just how far have you come?

Like with the business I spoke to… time to celebrate?

 

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 (c) Welcome Insight. Article written by Mark Bateman. Image by Susana Fernandez. November 2013.