This morning, my colleague and I hosted a party for our boss’ birthday. In my agency, our department takes turns hosting monthly birthdays. Everybody has a change to host, and in turn, we celebrate everyone’s birthday.
Celebrations are important parts of the work that we do. Often, we get so caught up in the work, that we can forget the need to recognize each other, and our accomplishments (whether it be a job well done or another successful year on this earth).
When we celebrate, we call out the fact that we are all working towards the same goal (hence the value in recognizing what we all do), and that we are part of a caring community, one that is willing to reach out and support everyone else.
And, celebrations don’t have to be huge enterprises. They can be small gatherings where not much happens other than listening to community members share their stories.
And, they can be smaller still, with a “pop in” to an office to say “hello” and ask about a recent experience, say “thanks” for past support, and/or simply sit and enjoy lunch together.
The value of celebrating is that we add further worth to the great work that we do. We aren’t simply churning out the good stuff; we are also building relationships with those we care most about.
And, we can’t do anything without strong relationships set in place.