Make It Last All Year
Written by Dr. Karen Smith, PhD
Taking lessons from the season of giving into the rest of the year.
The holiday season is upon us! In many (but certainly not all) workplaces, the month of December is a wind-down period when people are finishing up projects or putting others on hold in anticipation of time away from work. This year many of us are hoping to resume some of the traditional gatherings that we’ve enjoyed in the past. We’re making plans, working out the details, checking things off our lists, and trying – once again – to resist turning the holidays into just another project to manage. It’s a good time to stop and reflect on the opportunity for generosity, goodwill, and celebration that Christmas represents.
Gift-giving is one of the hallmarks of the Christmas season. Although holiday shopping can be stressful, it’s worth that wonderful feeling of watching someone we love open the gift that we chose for them. Research shows that the benefits of gift-giving are real and significant. Not only does giving make us feel good, but generosity has also been shown to improve our physical health! As well, it increases our sense of connection to those around us. The gratitude it elicits engenders all kinds of good stuff: increased positivity, personal happiness, and spontaneous acts of kindness. These positive effects are contagious. They ripple out and circle back, creating a reciprocal culture of generosity and goodwill.
This association between gift-giving and spreading joy, happiness, and peace on earth sounds like it could be good for the work environment. I’m not talking about a Secret Santa lottery. I’m thinking about the ways you can willingly offer your co-workers things they value throughout the year, creating a healthy, positive atmosphere for all.
What’s on the office wish list? So many things! Some of them are impractical and unaffordable, while others are on backorder, pending the resolution of supply chain problems. But here are a few simple, attainable things that most people want on the job:
Responsibility with autonomy to get the job done
Flexibility to work in a way that fits individual needs
Community that inspires and supports
Respect for diversity
Trust, and the grace to fail sometimes
Recognition of accomplishments
Opportunities for growth
In the spirit of the holidays, perhaps there is a way that you can give your co-workers (both up and down the work hierarchy) some of the parts and pieces of these reasonable wishes.
Give them your attention. Check in with them regularly.
Show your appreciation. Say thank you.
Take time to celebrate the wins. Do this often.
Make your office a safe space for risk-taking, mistake-making, and growth.
Commit to transparency. Speak the truth with kindness, respect, and courage.
These gifts won't cost you much, but their benefits will multiply. As the jovial Ghost of Christmas Present sings in The Muppet Christmas Carol (my family’s all-time favorite holiday movie): “It is the season of the spirit. The message, if we hear it, is ‘make it last all year.’”
This season and beyond, we at Shore Coaching wish you the generous gift of giving.