I’ve always lived in or near a major city but for the past twelve months I’ve lived in a really small town. I finally get the charm and appeal of small-town living because it’s less about the hustle and bustle and keeping up with the Joneses and more about waving to the Joneses and saying hello as you see them at the grocery store, out to dinner, and at the movies.
When we first moved here, our family would love to stroll through the downtown pedestrian mall on weekend mornings and be in the community mix – leisurely browsing crafts, having breakfast and enjoying the day. Then, the decision came down – the pedestrian mall would be under construction to create a through-road.
What? Why would they change one of the things that I loved the most about living here? I didn’t get it at all. Then, to top it off, the construction went on and on and on due to delays and I began to doubt that the road would ever open… until one day, it did.
I’ll bet that the town council was jumping with joy and the construction company was giving each other pats on the back and high-fives for a job well done despite the overruns. As a local resident, personally, I shrugged my shoulders when the road opened and said to myself, “look, the road is finally open,” and then I moved on. I was over it, that was, until last weekend, when we went for our after breakfast family stroll and heard some live music playing.
There, set up in the new road, were street performers, a local radio station, a big stage with local musicians, tons of balloons, and the community, standing together, celebrating the opening. This celebration, as I stood shoulder to shoulder with the community, transformed my attitude from “who cares” to understanding.
What leadership lessons can be learned from this small town celebration in the Outback? A lot.
Celebrate Progress Towards the Vision
When the team accomplishes a goal, celebrate. Including the extended team sets the context for where the work fits in the bigger picture and invites everyone to share the success of moving one step closer to the vision.
A Press Release Doesn’t Evoke Feeling
Celebration of milestones with the larger organizational community and with clients engages people in a far more meaningful way than a press release. I’ll go out on a limb and say that I’ve never read a press release that made me feel a part of something bigger than myself.
Don’t Tell Me, Show Me
It can be hard to understand the impact of changes and too often customers and employees assume changes are negative because they’re new – until they see it first hand. Give people a chance to interact, ask questions and experience the change real-time. Don’t tell them about the changes and benefits – show them.
Brand Ambassadors Don’t Just Love the Leader
Leaders should not let an opportunity to celebrate with the broader community pass them by. Brand ambassadors don’t just love you, the leader, they love being a part of something special – community.
Step Together Into the Future
Celebration feels good! It’s a chance to step from the tried and true past into the future as a community. The celebration marks the shift with positive, shared energy of what’s yet to come.
Leaders Are a Part of the Community
I can remember really big nights with my team at the local bar for drinks and celebration after major milestones were completed. Too often, the core team members were there but leaders weren’t present at all. The memories I cherish the most are the ones where the leaders were there, side by side with the team, having fun, letting loose and connecting. Community celebration is for the entire community and it’s the perfect time for leaders need to show up, be engaged and connect.
Despite my frustration at the endless construction, and holding firmly to my belief that what made our town special would be gone forever, one morning of celebration changed that. I see how the new layout will work to allow more traffic flow AND retain the ability to be a community hub. I smile just thinking about that morning and I know that local leaders acted with the best intention on behalf of the community. Big high-fives are deserved not only for completing the work but also pulling the community together to celebrate the success and collectively embrace what’s next.
When do you most feel a part of a community? What do you do to create community?
Alli you have the gift of taking a subject and making it very clear and concise and meaningful.
I truly liked step into the future together.
Community a group of people who resonate on the same experience and opportunity, having each others back while working towards succeeding together.
Thanks for your wonderful post. I truly enjoyed it.
Lolly
Lolly – Working hard and coming through the other side together is transforming but it’s celebration that gives us time to “be with” the change and move forward together. I have amazing memories of celebrations with my teams and communities that I still cherish!
Appreciate your feedback, insights and support!
xoxo
Really enjoyed this post, Alli! I’m a huge fan of celebration (though probably don’t do it enough), and I really appreciate your point about EVERYONE participating and being part of the community. My most treasured memory of celebrating with community is ironically with tens and thousands of strangers celebrating the SF Giants 2010 World Series win. Other than my co-workers, I didn’t know anyone. Yet, I felt so connected to the cause of celebration that the energy was palpable. As for things I do to create community at work, I do little things, e.g., invite people out to lunch, asking them about their kids, etc., in addition to engaging them on work stuff. After all, I really feel that people connect first as people, not the job functions they fulfill.
Alice – As I read what you wrote about the SF Giants win, I totally connected. It’s magical when you can be with strangers but absolutely connected and a part of the community.
At the office I have worked for people that took the time to get to know ME and those that only wanted me to do something on their to-do list. I was motivated to work harder for those leaders that cared about the relationship as much as the work. Truly sets the tone for the team culture … and community.
Appreciate that you shared here! Thank you!
Celebrations and marking milestones are essential to all our success and I loved how you brought that concept to life, Alli! When stepping into a new situation, it can be scary and feeling very unsettling. I’ve been working with this one technology client who is having a hard time dealing with a crazy amount of growth and change. When we got to talk about the impact of the change with the managers and what is concerning them most, we began to talk about the lack of trust and transparency. Your point about, Don’t Tell Me, Show Me, brought that to mind. Being able to ask questions and understand what the change is all about is critical. Thanks for all your great points!
Terri – Change programs can be so hard when it’s only about the messaging! All of the one-way communications in the world will not help people embrace the change. Trust and transparency cannot be built through a memo. Your client is lucky to have you on board to create meaningful moments of dialog and learning around the change within their organization.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!