Design Celebration Practices for You and Your Team

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to skip celebrating you or team’s accomplishments? Too often we quickly check-off the “done” box and race on to the next thing. However, if you do that, you’re missing out on a chance to fuel future accomplishments and feel good.

A coaching client recently shared a scenario with me in which she did a great job handling a difficult situation with a long-term employee. She finished the story and then immediately started talking about the next topic. I said, “Wait, let’s celebrate what you accomplished and what you learned!” I asked her to share reflections on these three questions: “What went well? What didn’t go so well? What will you do differently next time?” This process is valuable for three reasons. 

1. Recognizing and celebrating what you do well gives your brain a dopamine reward. Your brain pays attention to your “feel-good” moments and calculates what’s needed to repeat that action in the future.

2. Identifying and naming what went well and what didn’t go so well helps you appreciate your progress. Looking back on the experience from an observer standpoint, rather than an active participant, gives you an opportunity to learn more deeply from your experience.

3. Unpacking and clarifying what you want to do differently (if anything) in the future nurtures your continued growth.

Understanding the logical reasons why celebrating is important is all well and good but we’re emotional creatures. Imagining what your celebrations might look like and sensing how they might feel will start painting a new image in your mind’s eye.

What does celebration look like? 

Here are some ideas for you to consider:

• Give yourself a dopamine burst first thing in the morning by completing a morning ritual. This could be as simple as making your bed or as complex as several practices that you do before going to work. Celebrate sticking to it.

• During the day when you finish something that was challenging for any reason, give yourself a little, “Yay me!” moment. I think of this as a “trickle charge.”

• Celebrate on a regular basis with an accountability buddy or coach. Look back over a week or month and share everything you’re proud of accomplishing.

• Write three things that you’re grateful for each day. Taking a moment to notice the positive things happening in your life (no matter how small!) feels good and when you feel good, that energy radiates out to others.

• If you’re celebrating at work, ask each team member how they’d like to celebrate. You’ll likely have some people who want private recognition and others who love public praise. Let them design what works best for their team.

What are the feelings associated with celebrating?

I invite you to play with a mixture of three emotions, out of the 87 written about by Brene Brown in her newest book, Atlas of the Heart.

Ask yourself: How do these emotions show up in my beliefs and actions related to celebration?

Pride is a feeling of pleasure or celebration related to our accomplishment or efforts. 

Think of this feeling of pride as being associated with a sense of accomplishment, mastery, triumph, confidence, and self-worth. It’s not a shallow sense of pride. Brown distinguishes this kind of pride as an authentic pride. 

When you’re choosing what you want to celebrate, notice what you feel proud of accomplishing. For example, I feel proud when I finish my morning ritual.

Gratitude is an emotion that reflects our deep appreciation for what we value, what brings meaning to our lives, and what makes us feel connected to ourselves and others.  

When you have a gratitude practice and are capturing what you’re grateful for on a regular basis, celebration feels like a natural outcome. You can even do it as you’re reflecting on what you’re grateful for.

Humility is openness to new learning combined with a balanced and accurate assessment of our contributions, including our strengths, imperfections and opportunities for growth.

Think about the skills you’re focused on growing or the kind of leader you’re becoming. Consider how you’re progressing. For example, have you stepped outside your comfort zone and taken on a challenging project or task? Even if you did it imperfectly, what do you want to celebrate?

As you delve into the nuances of celebration, it feels like a switch you flip on the inside. You get to decide what’s meaningful for you to celebrate. Then, you get to choose a pleasurable style of celebrating. Right now…what do you want to celebrate? I’d love to hear your answer to that! Send me an email to Jalene@JaleneCase.com.

Note: This is part eight in a series of nine blog posts exploring a blueprint for self-leadership. You can read the previous post here.

Get the Support You Need: A Guide to Identify Your Tribe

Tell me if this sounds familiar to you: I probably have no fewer than 12 personal systems and devices—all designed to “support” and streamline my work and life. I’m surrounded by devices, yet when I have needed support from a person, I have sometimes found myself alone. 

There were two extraordinary times during the last several years when I really wanted and needed support. Indescribably, even though the right people were there, I didn’t reach out to them. The first time was when my husband and I went on an epic motorcycle adventure for two years. We rode two big BMW motorcycles from Oregon to the southern tip of South America. The thing that nearly caused me to give up on my dream (at least three times!) was that I greatly missed being with my tribe. You know, those friends you can immediately slip into a deep conversation with or colleagues who generously share their expertise and experience. It wasn’t that they weren’t there. They were. It was that I didn’t reach out to them.

The second time that found myself in need of support from people was after returning from that two-year motorcycle trip and starting my own business. After working for other organizations for 35 years, I was all alone in my office. I needed people to talk with about everything related to running a coaching and consulting business such as technology, marketing, finances, and oh so much more. I loved being part of a team, of an organization, of a community of people. I did not like being alone … until I figured it out. I don’t have to be alone and in fact, being alone makes lousy business sense. 

Now, I have the people, groups, and organizations that support me at my fingertips. This shortens the distance from stuck to unstuck. Plus, it’s more fun!

Human beings are wired for connection. We can do so much more, so much better when we work together and yet, it can be hard to reach out in our time of need. Deciding in advance who you can turn to for different purposes will make the “asking for help” process go much smoother.

Here are some questions to get you started thinking about who is there waiting to give you support. As you read these questions, write down who comes to mind. It might be friends, family, colleagues, or someone you hire.

All of these questions may or may not fit. That’s okay. Take what fits and write some of your own.

Who helps you tackle problems and challenges?

Who understands your business, industry, field or situation? 

Who has specific expertise that you need?

Who understands the people connected with your business or job such as clients, customers, volunteers, stakeholders, clients, employees, board, etc.?

Which groups do you want to join and be actively involved in? (Examples: Chambers, industry associations, etc.)

Do you want to start or find a group? (Examples: mastermind, accountability, coaching.)

If you work in an organization, who supports you internally?

Who have you or do you need to hire to support you? (Examples: bookkeeper, coach, virtual assistant, graphic designer, marketing.)

Who can you delegate to?

Who can you talk with when you’re feeling down?

Who can you dream with?

It’s one thing to know who you’ll reach out to but actually making the call or sending the email or text is another thing all together. Often when you need help it’s because you’re feeling unclear, foggy, overwhelmed, or even overly excited. Writing reminders for yourself will help you clearly see when it’s time to reach out sooner rather than later. 

How will you remind yourself to reach out when you want and/or need help?

To answer this question, examine previous experiences. When do you wish you would have reached out sooner? What were you feeling? What was happening? As you think about the answers to those questions, what do you notice that will help you navigate the situation better next time? Here are some examples from my list right now. I know it’s time to reach out when:

• I feel overly frustrated, tired, or pessimistic

• I don’t feel curious, outgoing, or creative

• I don’t know what I’m doing or don’t have a talent for it

Getting the support that you want and need to accomplish your visions, goals, and wild dreams starts with you. There are people willing and ready to give you what you need…all you need to do is ask.

Note: This is part six in a series of nine blog posts exploring a blueprint for self leadership. You can read the previous post here.

How to Create an Environment that Supports You

By Jalene Case 

The environment we build for ourselves—both externally and internally—influences how we show up and engage in our lives. Look around you. As you take in your surroundings, how do you feel? That feeling will follow you into whatever you’re doing next.

From 2015 to 2017, my husband and I traveled on our motorcycles, mostly in Latin America. My ability to control the surroundings changed dramatically and yet, the external world still influenced how I felt inside. For example, when we stayed in a place that felt good to me, I was inspired to write a blog post or make a video call to friends at home. When I found a private place to write in my journal, I could process the myriad of travel experiences.

Now I have more control over my surroundings. I decide how I want those spaces to look externally so they rev up my internal desires, goals, and visions. 

So how do your create your own supportive environment? Here’s an outline and some questions to consider: 

External Environment

Workspace

What does your dream workspace look like? Is it starkly minimalistic or wildly chaotic? Whichever way you choose, use an organization system that fits your style to increase productivity and decrease frustration. Give yourself permission to design the best space for you.

Storage Spaces (computers, bags, vehicles, etc.)

We can easily fall into the trap of storing too much “just in case” we need it and end up lugging around or being surrounded by a lot of unneeded clutter. What would serve you best to have nearby? How can you access it quicker? What can you let go? 

People

The people we surround ourselves with establish our “norm.” In other words, if most the people you hang out with don’t exercise, you probably won’t exercise either. If most the people surrounding you are always learning, you most likely will also. 

Malcolm Gladwell says, “The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are.” 

Places

Where do you spend time outside your work and home? Are those places supporting you? For example, trying to eat healthy and yet going to fast food places is incongruent. Trying to meet people from the business community and joining your local Chamber of Commerce is supportive.

Internal Environment

Emotional

Our emotions drive us even though we’re usually not aware of it. Whether we rank high on the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) scale or we’re a bit out of touch with our emotions, we can all benefit by improving in this area. 

The foundation of EQ is self-awareness. To grow that skill, try this:

• Ask yourself three times a day, “How am I feeling?” Set an alarm on your phone and when it goes off, internally ask yourself the question and answer with a word that best describes your feeling. This will grow your self-awareness and your vocabulary for describing emotions.

Physical

How does your body feel? Take a scan of your body and consider what you might do to help it feel better.

I had a big ah-ha when my husband and I were out traveling on our motorcycles. I knew it was important to sit-up straight when I was riding but I wasn’t doing it. As a result, I had to contend with an injury for several months. The ah-ha was that in order to sit-up straight, I had to strengthen my stomach muscles. That meant I had to exercise. The same is true for standing up straight and feeling energetic on a regular basis. In order to do those things, we need to move our bodies. 

Mindfulness: Combining Our External and Internal Environments

Mindfulness is defined as, “a technique in which one focuses one’s full attention only on the present, experiencing thoughts, feelings, and sensations but not judging them.” For me, this powerful combination of internal and external environments brings feelings of peace, calm, and focus. 

Try it yourself: for 10 seconds, notice the feeling of your feet connecting with the ground or your bottom connecting with the seat. Simply noticing connects our mind to our body. What do you notice? How do you feel? How can you support yourself in this moment?

We have the power to create an internal and external environment that supports us in being who we want to be and doing what matters most to us. Take a look around you. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, “What is one thing I could change to make my environment more supportive?”