I had a very interesting conversation this week about the importance of rituals in our lives.  We were raised with rituals!  Family rituals, religious rituals, community rituals, school rituals, holiday rituals….the list goes on and on! 

 I started thinking about how important rituals are, and I think one of the reasons is that we are creatures of habit.  Rituals can make us feel safe, loved and valued.

What rituals do you have with your family?  Do you have a specific day the family spends together?  Perhaps a game night or movie night.  A favorite restaurant you and your significant other like to enjoy a meal at and do so on a regular basis.  Rituals can be the glue that continuously bring the family back together in this busy world!  And, a way to easily make someone feel valued.

What about rituals in leadership?  Rituals may not be the word used in the workplace…but they absolutely exist.  How about weekly or monthly meetings…that could be considered a ritual! 

What rituals can we create in the workplace that would have a positive effect?  How about the ritual of simply walking around and catching people doing things right and acknowledging them!  Taking a few minutes and writing a thank you note to an employee for going the extra mile.  Rituals are a fun and easy way to acknowledge people on a daily basis! 

What rituals do you already have in place as a leader?  What rituals can you create to value your staff, to grow your business? 

Rituals are a part of our culture…make them a part of your life!

I was talking with a client today and he was sharing with me the great success that is taking place within his company.  He stated that the success is due to his constant attention to “Re-training, Re-immersion and Re-emphasis” to the core Mission, Vision, Values and Purpose of his company. 

 Not too long ago, he got all of his staff together to create a current Mission, Vision, Values and Purpose for the company.  This created tremendous buy in from the entire staff.  They felt a part of the company and felt valued by the company to be a part of this process. 

In addition, every day the company has  a ten minute “Huddle Meeting” via the phone where the work load for the day is shared and discussed and one person is asked on the call (spontaneously) to discuss how the Mission of the company is in alignment with the work that will be done that day.  Or, how the purpose of the company will help to get the duties and tasks accomplished.  Or, how the vision of the company will help grow the company. 

At first, when he started this exercise, staff did not respond well…now they are prepared and state the answer with energy and enthusiasm! 

It is a leaders job to “Re-train, Re-immerse and Re-emphasize” the Vision, Mission, Values and Purpose of the company.  And, to make sure they don’t end up complicated, forgotten words on a sign that is posted at the entrance or in the cafeteria. 

This core information must be constantly reinforced and modeled by the leadership of the company.  I am sure many of you have heard the quote:  “Children don’t do what we say they become who we are.”  Well, I tweak that quote in business to say:  “Employees don’t do what the leaders say or state in the manuals they do what they see the leaders do”! 

Take a look at the model you are portraying as a leader.  How can you act and speak in a way that is a positive role model for your staff?

Hi, I’m Marguerite Ham, a Colorado based leadership and success coach. This blog will feature interesting and entertaining posts on how to help you become a better leader and ignite personal and professional success!

Stay tuned for tons of interesting posts!

Marguerite