Keeping Company Culture at the Forefront of Your Approach to the Holidays
Companies have long pondered how to handle the winter holidays. Gatherings and gifts of any kind often involve a hefty dose of handwringing for businesses and employees.
As you approach the holidays and attend company parties, it’s important to keep company culture at the forefront and lead with the deeper purpose behind gathering. As Priya Parker states in her book The Art of Gathering, “When we don’t examine the deeper assumptions behind why we gather, we end up skipping to quickly replicating old, staid formats of gathering. And we forgo the possibility of creating something memorable, even transformative.”
Here are 4 Cs to keep in mind:
- Connection
Gatherings of any kind, whether a board meeting, an end-of-year planning session, or a holiday party should prioritize connection. To facilitate meaningful connection, you should be intentional about the purpose of the gathering and design it in a way that encourages people to bring out their authentic selves. As Priya Parker continues in her book, “We get lulled into the false belief that knowing the category of the gathering—the board meeting, workshop, birthday party, town hall—will be instructive to designing it. But we often choose the template—and the activities and structure that go along with it—before we’re clear on our purpose.”
- Community
Consider ways to build community with your team, your company, and the larger community. Look for ways to acknowledge and prioritize social impact with donations, service projects, gifts, food, and entertainment.
- Celebration
It’s important to make celebration a cornerstone of your approach to the holidays. While it’s been easy to become distracted by the challenges of the holidays and end-of-year tasks, there are many things to celebrate. Find those wins worth celebrating – big and small – and take a moment to recognize the impact of your team.
- Comedy
Let loose and make room for a little fun. Each organization will have its own brand of comedy, so be as authentic as possible. Any play on lighthearted humor is an essential ingredient to connection and building longstanding, meaningful relationships.
The holidays can be stressful and busy, but by keeping the four Cs in mind, you can keep your company culture part of this holiday season.