How do you celebrate your learning projects and events success? By how, I mean the actual activity (or activities) you engage in. Do you build success measures into every learning project plan or event? It is important to do this up front and include them in the schedule you share with your team. Be sure to build in key milestones and also plan to celebrate. Such milestones could include completion of all aspects of the needs analysis; client acceptance of the strategy and/or project plan; and each articulated step in the development process, rollout, annual event, significant training initiative, etc.
As an individual contributor, first, have you defined what constitutes success for yourself? Is it when your client says, “Yes,” and signs the contract? Is it completing the course(s) and handing off the files? Is it seeing learners working toward completing the course(s) and monitoring the results from the learning management system (LMS) reports? You need to spend time thinking about and defining this. And considering how you’ll celebrate success, as well.
On the team level, has the entire team contributed to how it defines success? What about the specific metrics that prove success to the business? And has every member of the team contributed to what feels like and looks like celebration to them?
REVIEWING AND CELEBRATING RESULTS
When the data and metrics that define the level(s) of success become available, how do you view, review, and celebrate the results?
• As an individual contributor, from a “Good for me!” viewpoint? Or an “I wish I had done XYZ…” viewpoint? When you meet or exceed expectations, how do you celebrate? Buy that new equipment, take a walk, enjoy a nice meal out? You decide—but do it.
• As a full team, is the focus only on what could have been done better or differently? Or is there a balanced discussion that includes plenty of what was stellar and went well? Then, what does the team do to celebrate? Stretch beyond thinking pizza lunch in the office for all—especially when this is the common “go-to.” Get creative! Change it up every time. And make it count because doing this part well likely means you’ll be celebrating more often.