Building a Culture of Celebration Relational Values At Work
© Relational Values Alliance 1 Introduction Celebration Is an Important Part of Connection We’re all created with certain relational needs — needs that can only be met in a relationship with others. One of the needs we all share is the need to celebrate together. It is part of being human to want and need others to celebrate the good things in life. No one likes to feel alone, even in the positive moments. For example, a culture of celebration: • Allows employees to receive recognition for accomplishments and milestones in both their business and their personal lives. • Helps create a sense of team unity for the staff members. • Gives the opportunity for a boost in employee morale. • Gives the opportunity to reinforce the values of your company and the kind of people you want your employees to become. How do we become a person who celebrates and makes great connections? Celebration includes: • Being vulnerable with your own moments of celebration • Allowing others to celebrate with you • Looking and listening for celebrations of others • Initiating celebrations with people through words, actions, or other acknowledgments Share Your Story—Have a conversation with a co-worker or colleague about how easy or hard it is for each of you to celebrate right now. For example: “I’m learning to become a person who celebrates with others. Right now, it is pretty easy for me to celebrate because…” Or, “Right now, it is tough for me to celebrate because…How about you?” Finally, discuss the benefits your own company would see if you had more and more employees who made a relational connection by celebrating with your customers. What good things might happen if your customers had an emotional/ relational connection and felt celebrated by employees at your company?
2 © Relational Values Alliance Learn the Skills of Celebration When good things happen, we need someone to celebrate with us. If we want to have great connections, we need to know what it LOOKS LIKE to celebrate well. WATCH THIS VIDEO to remind yourself what it LOOKS LIKE to celebrate. Let the tennis players inspire your celebrations! If we want to have great connections, we need to know what it SOUNDS LIKE to celebrate. Here’s what celebrations do NOT sound like: • Ignoring the person and changing the subject. • Talking about how you wish that had happened to you. • Comparing your celebration story with theirs Here’s A VIDEO of what a celebration DOES sound like. It also means sharing your positive emotions in response to others’ positive stories or experiences. • “I’m so glad that happened for you.” • “I’m happy for you. That’s amazing!” • “How cool is that?! I’m excited that you...” Ask a co-worker or colleague about one of their recent celebrations and then celebrate with them. Avoid responses that are NOT effective; practice the words above that ARE examples of celebration skills. Take Action: Be the Catalyst Share Your Story—Have a conversation with a co-worker or colleague about why it’s crucial to stop and celebrate milestones, accomplishments, good news, and positive things happening in our lives. For example: “I’ve been thinking about some of the positive memories in my life and how good it feels to have people join me in celebrating the little things, as well as the big things. I remember when _____celebrated with me about ______. It meant a lot to me because...” “How about you? When has someone celebrated with you about a big thing or a little thing in your life, and it meant a lot to you?” After this friend shares their story, celebrate with them about their memory too! This week, take the initiative and have this conversation with two more people.
© Relational Values Alliance 3 What is Celebration? Session 1 Being intentional to cultivate a culture of celebration allows you to reinforce the values of your company and remind your team about the kind of employees you’re all working to become. For example, Celebrations essentially create a payit-forward cycle that can help stimulate cultural gratitude throughout your organization. When companies take time to celebrate good work, the accomplishment of a goal, or the tenure of an employee, that expression of gratitude takes root within the company. Employees are more likely to show gratitude to one another because they’ve received gratitude from their superiors. Celebration includes: Vulnerably celebrating your own positive moments and recognizing times of celebration for others. This growth plan focuses on celebrating your and others’ growth as you live out the top ten relational needs. Let’s celebrate! WHY is celebration important? Your organization’s culture will benefit when you notice and celebrate good times with others.
4 © Relational Values Alliance Part 1: Celebrating Our Need for Appreciation • Appreciation is: Recognizing someone’s accomplishments or efforts: especially noticing things they have DONE. Here’s a video for review. • Think about the ways YOU’VE grown in giving appreciation. When have YOU noticed someone’s accomplishments or efforts and said, “Thank you?” Celebrate your personal growth. • Share Your Story with a co-worker or colleague: ”I’m grateful that I’m becoming a more appreciative person. I’m celebrating this growth because I...” (take fewer people for granted, have less conflict in my family, complain less and more positive things to say, am more grateful, etc.) • Celebrate Their Story: Next, notice the personal growth in the other person. Think about the times when he/she has recognized the accomplishments or effort of another person (maybe even including you). • “It was great to hear you give appreciation when...” Or “I heard you say ‘thank you’ to _____. I’m sure that made a difference in...” Or “I can tell that you’re making an effort to show more appreciation. I’ve seen that when _____. It looks good on you!” Part 2: Celebrating Our Need for Respect • Respect is: treating people as important and regarding them with great value. Watch the video here for a review. • Celebrate respect by asking a co-worker or colleague the questions below: “Please give me your opinion and perspective. I’m growing in giving more respect to others, and I’d like to hear your ideas about some fun topics today.” Celebrate and honor this person’s ideas. Make it a fun conversation! • Celebrate Their Story: Would you rather have a pause, rewind, or a fast-forward button in your life, and why? Or Would you rather lose all of your friends but keep your best friend or lose your best friend but keep the rest of your friends? Part 3: Celebrating Our Need for Encouragement • Encouragement is: Cheering on someone toward their goal: helping them become more determined, hopeful, or confident. Here’s a video for your review! • What’s something you can celebrate about someone else that they may not acknowledge on their own? Verbalize it and then give encouragement. • Celebrate Their Story: “I want you to know that I have seen you become more… I’m thrilled for you, and I believe in you!” Or “I’m celebrating how you’ve grown in the way you... I’m excited for you. Keep it up!”
© Relational Values Alliance 5 Make It Personal Remember: Celebrating with others helps us to focus on the good things happening in our lives and the lives of others. At the office, celebrating employee milestones can be a great morale booster for the workforce. Commemorating a birthday or acknowledging a work anniversary can instill a sense of belonging and ownership among employees. When we celebrate accomplishments, relationships, or effort, we encourage continued effort. When we celebrate efforts and achievements, it revitalizes the desire to keep trying and do more. Why? We all enjoy being recognized and acknowledged. Having a culture of celebration increases employee loyalty, participation, and performance. Session 2
6 © Relational Values Alliance Part 1: Celebrating Our Need for Acceptance • Acceptance is: Liking someone who may be different than you: not trying to change someone or fix them. Watch this video for a review of what acceptance is NOT. It is treating EVERY person as a hero! • Think about the ways YOU’VE grown in showing acceptance. When have YOU cared about someone different than you? Celebrate your personal growth. • Share Your Story with a co-worker or colleague: ”I’m grateful I’m becoming more accepting of others. I’m celebrating this growth because I...” (have learned to value people, am less self-centered, etc.) • Celebrate Their Story: Notice the personal growth in the other person. Celebrate the times when they have demonstrated acceptance too. (Be careful not to talk badly about others as you do.) “I’m very impressed by how you’ve accepted _____ even though/even when...” Part 2: Celebrating Our Needs for Comfort and Support • Comfort is: Responding to a hurting person with words, feelings, and appropriate, gentle touch. Some of the most hurtful times are when we face struggles and challenges alone. Support is: Coming alongside another person and helping them with a problem or a struggle. Here’s a video that reviews the need for support! • Watch this next video to hear more about the challenges of feeling alone, the joy of receiving support, and the celebration of accomplishment! • Celebrate Their Story: Affirm ways that co-workers have given support. Celebrate their “super-hero-ness.” Talk to your colleagues about times when you’ve seen them help another person or come alongside to pitch in on the practical needs of life. • “You have been a total Super Hero when…” Or “I’ve seen you save the day when you gave support to _____ by_______.” Part 3: Celebrating Our Need for Affection • Affection is: Expressing care and closeness through appropriate physical touch or sharing words like: “I love you,” “I care about you,” or “I really like being your friend/co-worker.” Watch the video to see the power of affection in friendship! • Celebrate your co-worker or colleague by giving a surprise demonstration of affection. Give a handshake, a pat on the back, or share the words above.
© Relational Values Alliance 7 Giving Celebration Growing in Your Celebrations with Others • Celebrations are a chance for your team to get to know each other outside of their work responsibilities. Celebrations are a great way to bring employees together and help them feel more united. • Employees who celebrate together learn to take pride in one another’s work as well as their own, which helps foster loyalty and a sense of purpose within your organization. Remember: When people know you will celebrate with them, they will seek opportunities to share their good times with you. Be ready to acknowledge, affirm, commend, and rejoice with them. Be sure to practice your skills in giving celebrations! Session 3
8 © Relational Values Alliance Part 1: Celebrating Our Need for Attention Part 2: Celebrating Our Need for Security • Security is: Harmony in relationships and freedom from fear or worry about the threat of harm or abandonment. WATCH THIS VIDEO and celebrate the power of feeling safe and secure. • Celebrate their Story: Talk to a co-worker or colleague about times when you’ve both felt most safe and secure in relationships. What confidence did that bring for each of you? Part 3: Celebrating Our Need for Approval • Approval is: Building up and affirming worth in another person: noticing someone’s character and commending them for it. • Celebrate Your Story: Celebrate your personal growth with a co-worker or colleague. “I’m becoming a more approving person! I see the good in others more often, and this has been great because...” • Celebrate Their Story: Continue celebrating by WATCHING THIS VIDEO with a colleague, co-worker, or friend. • Tell the other person why THEY are capable of amazing things because they are “special.” Talk about how you would like to work together to change everything around you! • Attention is: Conveying appropriate interest, concern, and care: entering a person’s “world.” WATCH THIS VIDEO to see the value of giving attention, then replicate it! • You may not have a ball pit, but you CAN find a seat and make a friend. Ask a new co-worker or an old colleague the questions below. Share your story and then enter their world by celebrating their story: 1. Name three things on your bucket list. 2. Talk about someone who inspires you. 3. Find something unique that you have in common. 4. Talk about an experience that changed your life. • Celebrate the growth you see in yourself and the other person by saying, “I’m so happy we got the privilege to know each other a bit more today!”
© Relational Values Alliance 9 Live It Out A person who celebrates well initiates celebrations in all relationships. Be intentional this week to celebrate in each of these areas. • Celebrate with Friends: ° Who has a birthday, anniversary, vacation, or family event coming up? Ask about this event and celebrate that it’s coming soon. If appropriate, do something to acknowledge it. Buy a balloon, write a text, give a card, or bake a treat. ° Which of your friends has achieved a goal or accomplished a task recently? Try sending a text or calling them to celebrate their progress and success! • Celebrate with Family: ° Look for ways that your family members are showing effort and/or accomplishing some aspect of personal growth in the top ten relational needs. ° Imagine giving your family members an award for one of the ways they’ve grown. Complete the following sentences for each person. ° “My award goes to ______ for being the most _____________.” (“My award goes to Tyler for the most comforting and compassionate person in our family!” Or “My award goes to Mom for being the most supportive person in the universe!”) • Remember: Celebrating with others is contagious because it communicates value, joy, and care for others! Session 4 Part 1: Live It at Home or with Close Friends
10 © Relational Values Alliance Part 2: Live It at Work Celebrate with Co-workers, Colleagues, Bosses, or Friends: WATCH the VIDEOS BELOW. Let them inspire your own celebrations inside your company. You can also keep it simple: Send a handwritten note to a co-worker, colleague, boss, customer, or friend, celebrating them as people you care about. They’ll likely keep it forever! Start your note with words like: “I’m happy to have someone like you as a part of my life because…” Part 3: Live It in Your Community Celebrate with People in Your Community Think about the people who serve in your community. Who are the unsung heroes who serve consistently and faithfully? Who are the volunteers, pastors, crossing guards, booster club sponsors, and fans who support the work of your community? Find out their story and plan a celebration. WATCH THIS VIDEO for inspiration! • Remember: Celebration means taking the time to listen to another person’s story, discovering the positive moments in their story, and then sharing positive emotions in return! • You can also keep it simple and powerful. Sharing simple words of celebration can be just as meaningful. • “I’m celebrating you and the way you serve our community. I’m especially grateful when I see how you...”
© Relational Values Alliance 11 Appendix
12 © Relational Values Alliance Part 1: With caring connections, good things happen. We all have unique relational needs—the distinct ways that we feel cared for and loved in relationships. In this session, you learned more about giving and receiving CELEBRATIONS to help create caring connections. Caring, connections in the workplace help: • Increase employee engagement in the organization’s mission. • Decrease turnover, absenteeism, and conflicts. • Increase customer loyalty, as more consistent and genuine service is provided through caring connections. • Instill the common foundation of worth and value for each person, regardless of differences. • Reduce social isolation and aloneness. • Enrich relationships at work and at home. • Instill the “soft skills” and emotional intelligence for effective leadership and collaboration. • Develop a relational culture of prioritizing people, teamwork, mentoring, providing exceptional customer experiences, and living out a life purpose. Part 2: Without caring connections, bad things happen. Without caring connections and if relational needs are missed, bad things happen. When we are feeling alone, disconnected, or isolated, we might: • Have difficulty working in teams. • Struggle with communication or focus. • Lose motivation or the ability to creatively solve problems. • Have more physical symptoms and absenteeism. • Lose sleep or become depressed. • Become irritable, critical, uncooperative, or impatient. • Be more fearful, anxious, and have a tough time trusting other people. • Be more prone to abuse alcohol, drugs, or porn. • Escape into media, TV/movie streaming, gaming, shopping, work, or hobbies. • Feel depressed, withdrawn, or resentful.
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