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Celebrating Team Wins
We’ve asked some bloggers and friends to share their favorite ways of celebrating team wins. Below is a compilation of suggestions from clinical and research teams to serve as inspiration for celebrations in your group.
Step 1 – Recognize the accomplishments.
- passing qualifying exam
- thesis defense
- postdoc departure
- new hires
- first-author paper
- paper accepted
- grant awarded
Step 2 – Pause. Bask in the moment. An important step easily overlooked.
Step 3 – Shine some light and celebrate however possible.
- personal note in a book that is relevant to the lab/team
- personalized memento (e.g., belt buckle, photo/frame)
- a perpetual trophy that is passed from first-author to first-author
- champagne toast – bottle signed by honoree(s) and kept in office/lab
- champagne toast – honoree pops the cork and cork is glued wherever it hits the ceiling (cork is labeled with occasion and date)
- pizza party organized by honoree(s)
- “decorate to destruction” the desk of honoree(s) (e.g., glitter, silly string)
- food, lots of food – meals out, treats brought in
- boating trip
- Slack #feelgood channel to post highlights and congrats
- local-themed care packages for new hires
- lab swag (e.g., stickers, masks, socks, mugs, hats, swords)
- arcade team challenge
- paying it forward – extended lunch to shop for adopt-a-family programs
- gift cards
End of Year Celebrations
Boat trip
Arcade team challenge
Field day with traditional games (egg and spoon race, three legged race)
Escape room
Do you have a favorite tradition to add to this list? Share in the comments to help spread the good vibes.
More Resources
Celebrating “The Climb”
Small Wins for Sustained Success: The Progress Principle
Microaffirmations
1 Comment
I strongly agree with you that we don’t celebrate our colleagues accomplishments enough. I try to celebrate the milestones in my junior faculty’s careers – particularly first major training grant and first R01-sized grant. I think those are massive. I also get brass nameplates for their doors, when they get doors with offices, even if they’re former janitorial closets.