How do you celebrate a big win?
I get some questioning looks when I tell people I am a Chicago Cubs fan. You see I was born and raised in the south, and generally am a fan of all Atlanta teams. I love rooting for my local team, however the Cubs have always been a part of my life. My dad was a Chicago native. I sport his “Left Field Bleacher Bum” patch in my office. WGN was always a part of our cable package growing up, so watching a Cubs game was just as easy as watching my hometown Braves.
So you could imagine how much fun I had this past November as my wife and I stayed up late to watch one of the greatest World Series games ever played. I still remember the shock staring at the screen and just saying, “I can’t believe it happened.”
If the Cubbies were going to win it had to be in a dramatic way. And now months later they start a new season as champs. To celebrate their great win they, like all major sports teams, produced Championship rings to go to the team. It is a great way to celebrate the big win. In the middle of all of the celebration I read something that really intrigued me.
The Cubs produced and gave out 1908 World Series rings.
For those of you who are not baseball fans – there are nowhere near 1908 players on a baseball team. So then you start considering coaches, owners, executives and alike who received a ring. Still you get nowhere near 1908 people.
The 1908 rings for the Cubs are meaningful because the year 1908 was the last time the Cubs won the World Series. What the team did with the 1908 rings is even more meaningful.
The Cubs gave out 1,908 rings to everyone from high-level executives to the scoreboard operator… and everyone in-between. They celebrated a big win by including everyone in the celebration – not just the field players. It is a high dollar way to acknowledge that everyone plays a part in making the team a success.
So how do you celebrate a big win?
Do you celebrate only with those closest to you? Do you save the best gifts and the kind words of affirmation for a select few among you? Or do you find a way from the top to the bottom to acknowledge and celebrate with everyone on your team? The bond of your team is as strong as the width of the celebration circle. (Click to tweet) When your team gets a win – it must be a win for the whole team. Does the newest member of your team get pulled in to celebrate just as much as the veteran?
We as leaders would do well to learn from the Cubs – to find ways to honor and celebrate all of the people who help contribute to our big wins.
Cory Lebovitz 