As the festive season is upon us, this is the perfect time for your team to pause, reflect, and connect. As we wind down for a few days of celebration, a well-structured team conversation can embed your team culture, celebrate achievements, and set a positive tone for the year ahead.
Celebrate Achievements
Before looking forward, it’s important to look back. Take time to acknowledge the milestones reached and the hard work that made them possible. Celebrating wins—big and small—reinforces a culture of recognition and gratitude and increases morale and engagement. Take the time to acknowledge and highlight these successes – as a team:
- Achieving a target
- Completing a project
- Developing new skills and expertise
Reflect on What Could Have Been Even Better
Reflection is key to growth. Take the opportunity to discuss the challenges the team faced this year and consider what could have gone even better. Take an appreciative approach, focusing on lessons learned rather than over-analysing the issue. Teams that reflect on setbacks are better equipped to adapt and innovate in the future. Consider asking open questions:
- “What processes can we improve?”
- “How can we better support each other?”
Look Ahead to Next Year
The end of the year is also an opportunity to look forward. Set clear, achievable objectives for the first three months of the new year to ensure a strong start. Teams with short-term goals perform more effectively as they maintain focus, momentum and are more engaged in their work.
- Clarify your team priorities for the first quarter
- Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals
- Agree to actionable steps to achieve these goals
