For companies to excel in the business world, they must set realistic goals that improve their operations and set them apart from the rest. They also need a robust framework such as the OKR methodology, for setting and meeting desired targets. One thing young companies or businesses fail to do is celebrate achievements.
In this article, we will talk about the importance of celebrating achievements in the OKR methodology.
Why is celebrating achievement significant in OKRs?
To understand the significance of celebrating achievements, one must be familiar with OKRs.
OKR refers to Objective, Key results. It is a framework used by top companies and businesses for setting and achieving objectives. It is a simple yet powerful methodology that employs clearly defined and measurable metrics for success. OKR focuses on short-term goals e.g., during a week, month, or quarterly.
It is a highly versatile framework that can be used in a top-down or down-up fashion and is applicable for every level of organization, i.e., company-management-team-individual.
One of the reasons the OKR methodology has been highly successful over the decades is that it allows organizations to set stretch goals (ambitious or challenging objectives) and effectively meet said targets.
This means that setting lofty and measurable goals is at the heart of the OKR methodology, and when teams or individuals reach milestones, they are worth celebrating.
Celebrating achievements —including small wins — is one of the secrets of companies that achieve success using OKRs. They can work wonders in driving your team members toward the set goal. Regarding this, here are a few reasons why celebrating the achievements of your team is important in OKRs
- It increases the morale and motivation of your employees.
- It boosts self-esteem
- It helps to build momentum
- It strengthens self-efficacy
- It helps to prevent burnout
- It makes the highly demanding moments worthwhile
How can celebration increase morale, and motivation, and boost productivity among employees?
Celebrating small and big wins can increase the morale and motivation of your team members.
Put simply, it helps you to keep the spirits high within your company, making the working environment convenient for all parties involved.
Celebrating your employees shows that you care about them. In turn, this makes them happy and reduces turnovers, significantly improving the company’s culture and ensuring the working environment oozes positivity at every moment.
As we all know, meeting and celebrating a crucial target makes us feel good-This may be ascribed to the brain releasing pleasure hormones to reward us for work well done. In the business setting, this translates to a boost in morale or camaraderie (for team members). Appreciation from the company, team leads, or managers shows that they value the effort of the employees- This builds trust among team members and improves self-esteem on an individual level.
The gesture also serves to reward their labor. This, in turn, inspires them to do more and reach greater heights, hence boosting motivation among workers.
The boost in morale and motivation also affects other aspects of business like speed and efficiency. When staff members are aware of, and appreciated for their potential and strengths, confidence increases. A boost in confidence, camaraderie, efficiency and trust boosts productivity and positively impacts company culture.
How can you celebrate achievements?
Here are three (3) tested & proven ways to celebrate achievements-
- Recognize Reliable Team Members
It’s no secret that some team members stand out from others when it comes to ensuring your team achieves the set goals. Therefore, you feel assured whenever you give them more responsibility compared to others.
For example, you can bank on a handful of employees to step up to handle complicated or unexpected tasks.
Sometimes, these individuals prove time and time again to be valuable assets to the team. But sadly, they don’t get the recognition they deserve, as they get taken for granted or overlooked. Don’t go down this road.
Instead, take out time to acknowledge the individual(s) for bringing their dedication and skillset to the table.
Throw light on the bits of action that helped the company’s small or big wins. Show them how much you value them and their ability to deliver.
Surprisingly, pointing out their level of excellence won’t take up to 15 minutes. But then, it leaves a positive long-lasting impression.
- Acknowledge The Small Steps
Acknowledging your team members — without any exception — for the small steps toward achieving the set goal goes a long way in making them relaxed and motivated.
It gives them the impression that you have got your eyes on them and notice every one of their efforts. This way, you can easily encourage them to keep the same energy or point out where they can improve to drive the company in the right direction.
- Show Gratitude
You can decide to take things to another level by expressing gratitude. Thank them for making it easy to achieve the company’s goals.
Here is the thing, showing that you’re grateful to your team for bringing their A-game is one of the easiest and fastest ways to fill the working environment with excitement and positivity.
You can show gratitude to your team members in many ways. Nevertheless, here are a few suggestions worth considering:
- Give a promotion, bonus, or raise to deserving individuals
- Plan team breakfast, lunch, or dinner nights
- Throw an office party
- Give incentives, such as redeemable vouchers, movie tickets, and what have you
- Share your team members’ success stories on Social Media
- Award ceremonies like the outstanding performer of the month, an employee of the month, achiever of the month, and the like
- Celebrate employee’s work anniversaries
As you can see, you don’t always need to splash the cash to show gratitude. Nonetheless, your sincere expression rubs off on your employees, leaving them excited about the future.
Managers must know when and what to celebrate. For instance, the recognition a new team or individual deserves for executing a challenging project would be different from one with experience and accomplished projects.
Other metrics that aren’t seen as achievements can be lauded in the workplace- An example is consistency. While we can’t commemorate every goal or target we reach, appreciating consistency does go under the radar. For instance, if your organization has a team of staff that handles what you perceive as minor tasks, not celebrating their efforts can lead to a drop in productivity.
Conclusion
At this point, you can see why celebrating every win or achievement counts in your OKRs. Hence, you shouldn’t belittle or take any small win for granted. Instead, celebrate every step of the way using any of the above tips we shared with you to celebrate achievements. They work wonders!
The OKR methodology empowers companies and businesses to lofty goals using a comprehensive framework for tracking progress that promotes accountability. Achieving said goals is arguably more important than setting them- and we shouldn’t ignore such milestones.
Celebrating achievements is immensely beneficial for increasing morale and motivation among staff, boosting productivity and output, and improving company culture.
