I’m a Georgia Bulldog to my core. And I don’t want to hear it, Florida fans! Just kidding — we’ve got something much more important, but inspired by the University of Georgia coaches, to talk about today.
UGA coaches pass out “Dawg Bone” stickers for players to sport on their helmets to reward hard work, integrity, and putting the team first. Ohio State coaches do the same with Buckeye stickers. Other teams have variations of this same practice, but the purpose is all the same — to celebrate success and the demonstration of team values.
Good coaches celebrate success. So do good leaders.
Tom Mullins, the founding pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach, Florida, was a successful and beloved football coach before he was a successful and beloved pastor. Here is what he says about the value of celebration in our churches:
- Celebration builds morale. Celebrating your team and their accomplishments shows that you value your team members. It shows them you as their leader are paying attention, that you notice their accomplishments, and that their efforts are making a difference.
- Celebration reinforces your values. What gets celebrated gets replicated. Showing people that you value their efforts to live out things like integrity, unity, and loyalty ups the likelihood that those values will become an even more important part of your team’s day-to-day efforts.
- Celebrations attracts the right kind of people. As you’re recruiting talented people to join your team, they’ll appreciate knowing you celebrate the people you work with today.
How do we live this out at Church Community Builder? I aim to celebrate my team in big and small ways, like these:
- Starbucks cards — because who doesn’t love caffeine? Or cake pops? A small dollar amount on a gift card, given to one of my team when they don’t expect it, says “I notice you, and I appreciate you.”
- Gift cards or plans for special days that align with the things I know my team member loves — a spa day, tickets to a Broncos game, plans for a date night, etc.
- Spontaneous ‘Atta Boy/Girl’ conversations — just five minutes of a face-to-face conversation about what that person has done really well can make a big difference.
- Team fun, either organized or organic — we have a blast as a team just hanging out and talking about anything but work. It builds our team connections and relationships, and shows them that I as their leader really enjoy them as people.
How are you putting some stickers on helmets for your team? Share your celebration ideas with me in the comments!