Some organizations tend to forget about celebrating wins with their team. If you never stop to celebrate the good things happening in your community, you run the risk of burn out — both for you and the other members of your team. Celebrating “wins” is a great way to pass the baton of ownership and vision, raise the level of energy and moral, and offer momentum to make progress to move forward.
When you think about sharing the successes of your team, try using these five frameworks to help celebrate and amplify each “win.”
Story
When we celebrate wins they should always be attached to a story. Stories help “wins” feel tangible. Give your “win” a name and a face to help people connect with what God is doing in your community.
Specific
The “wins” we celebrate should always be specific. Instead of saying, “people seem to really be engaged in what we’re doing,” you could say, “We hosted The Giving Tree and more than two-hundred families participated!”
Stats
When you communicate wins to your team or teach them to communicate wins to others, urge them to use statistics. Coach your team to use specific numerical data instead of general statements. For example you can say that there were “seventy-three people who came to the event” instead of saying “there were a lot of people at the event.” Including stats helps people to see tangible growth.
Strategic
Help your community understand how the “win” lines up with your mission. For example, the fact that the congregation brought in more than 10,000 cans for the food drive exemplifies the your commitment to local outreach. This helps tie individual “wins” into communal “wins.”
Short
Each win should strive to be communicated quickly and succinctly so that it can easily be shared over and over again. This is the kind of thing you hope your team will communicate even outside of staff meeting — stories they will tell at the grocery store, with their families, and online. It’s easy to pass over the good things that are happening day to day as you strive towards the next benchmark or goal which is why it is important to remind ourselves to celebrate each step.
It will make the biggest difference.
