During a Pittsburgh Pirates game, right fielder Bryan Reynolds made a young man’s day. The boy was in the stands with his friends. It was also his birthday.
His friends were cheering and pointing at the young man. He looked a little unsure of himself. But the friends knew they could get the attention of Reynolds and make his day.
Why? Because it was the young man’s birthday. His friends wanted something special for him: a game ball.
Watch the video below to see what happens.
As the boys caught Reynolds’s attention, he did his thing. He tossed the ball into the waiting hands of the boy. Then the friends celebrated.
I’ve watched this video countless times. It almost brings tears to my eyes. I hope it does to yours as well.
Seeing the young man’s friends celebrate catching a game ball is something special. They didn’t try to get the ball. They didn’t complain. They didn’t fight. Instead, they celebrated.
We need to be celebrators of our people. How can you do that?
Point out what needs to be celebrated:
When you see someone in your organization, point out their great work or a reason to celebrate them. Your employee may have closed the biggest deal in company history. Or it may be as simple as it’s their birthday.
When you point out what they need to be celebrated for, you encourage others to do the same.
Be excited:
The young boys in the video were excited for their friend. They saw him have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They cheered him on! They were excited.
Are you excited when your people achieve something spectacular? Do you yell, whoop, and cheer?
Maybe you don’t need to go that far, but you do need to be excited for your people. Whenever they do something right, show them how excited you are for them.
Get others excited:
You may be excited, but are others excited about the work others are doing? Probably not. They may not even know the work that’s being done. That’s the case in many larger organizations.
The boys in the video weren’t the only ones who got excited. People in the crowd were excited for the birthday boy. They knew something magical had happened. And they celebrated.
The excitement spread from the stadium to the World Wide Web as the video of the toss and catch went viral. People around the world are celebrating the birthday of this kid. They’re excited and invested in him now.
Great leaders find ways to get others excited as well. Part of that is pointing out what needs to be celebrated. Another aspect is being excited yourself. You can also replay the moment, explain what’s happening, or stage a party to get people excited.
We can celebrate big wins, medium wins, and even small wins in our organization. You won’t do it right all of the time but when you begin celebrating great work, you’re going to find you’re creating a culture that celebrates good things. People are going to want to come to work because they know they’ll find their work appreciated.
Who do you need to celebrate today?
