Celebrate Together

We often look at how much work is left to do. So we do not see how much we have already done.

It is important to celebrate big when you reach the final goal. You could go out together and "paint the town." But it is also good to celebrate in smaller ways when we finish important steps along the way. Here are a few ideas that do not cost much [B8]:

• Bring chocolate or a decorated cake to a meeting.
• Make funny hats or lapel buttons from coloured paper for each team member that lists how they helped complete that step toward the goal.
• Thank each team member in front of the others and say how they added to the team's success.
• Make a sign with the date, the goal and the step taken. Take a photo of the team with the sign and make copies for each person.
• Bring chocolate milk (as well as the usual cream) for the meeting coffee.
• Give each team member a note-pad or a pencil with his or her name on it from the dollar store.
• Draw a thermometer on a poster and bring it to each meeting. Mark the important steps to the goal along one side. When each step is completed, members can colour the next part of the thermometer with a red pen.

When a project is done well, team members may not want it to end [B4]. Some teams find new goals to work on together. Sometimes this is not possible. How you celebrate the end of a project depends a bit on how you marked the successes along the way. It also depends on how much money there is.

• Always give each team member a thank you card that talks about the ways that person helped the team reach its goal.
• A special meal together gives team members time to talk about the fun they had together and how much they got done.
• Give each person a small gift (like a coffee mug or flowers).
• Take a final group picture. Send each team member a copy.
• Include each team member's name on any reports or other results of the work together. Give each member a copy and point out their name.