The Power of Celebration
The Power of Celebration
At Leaders of Today, we celebrate everything.
Maybe a little too much, at least that’s what the team jokes about. But I’ve seen what happens when you intentionally choose to celebrate people, and I’m convinced it’s one of the reasons our organization feels different.
Celebration is baked into who we are. It’s in the handwritten thank-you notes that show up in mailboxes. It’s in the “GREAT JOB!” texts that fly around after events. It’s in the random “we did it” dinners when we finish something big.
Sure, we work hard. And sometimes, honestly, it’s hard to want to celebrate. But taking time to pause and say, “Hey, that mattered,” has changed the way we work together. It’s kept our team grounded, grateful, and motivated when things get messy.
We’re Not Perfect (But We Try)
Now, let me be clear, we’re not perfect at this. Far from it.
We still drop the ball. We forget to say thank you. We sometimes let busy seasons push connection to the back burner. But we try. Every single day, we try.
That’s the heart of celebration, it’s not about pretending everything’s great; it’s about noticing the good even when it’s hard.
I think part of why I push so hard for a culture of celebration is because I know what it feels like to miss it. I love my job at the airport, and I have great bosses — seriously, they’re some of the best. But I’ll admit, I wish there was more celebration built into our day-to-day work.
It’s easy in any workplace for the feedback to lean toward what went wrong instead of what went right. I get it, things have to get fixed, procedures have to get followed. But when people feel appreciated, they care more. They think deeper. They want to get better because they know their effort is noticed.
Celebration Builds Connection
That’s why at Leaders of Today, we’ve made celebration part of our structure. We actually have two Culture Coordinators whose whole goal is to keep our community strong. They plan our retreats, organize monthly team nights, and make sure appreciation doesn’t get lost in the rush of planning programs or running events.
Sometimes that looks like dinner at a local restaurant. Other times, it’s a volleyball game, a Christmas party, or a baseball outing. It’s not about fancy events, it’s about creating moments where people can look around and think, “I belong here.”
But even with all of that structure, I still make it personal. I write handwritten letters to our team members, and not just them, but anyone who helps advance our mission. I text our team often just to say thank you or to tell them they handled something really well. Our Culture Coordinators handle a lot of the events and day-to-day engagement (and they’re amazing at it), but I never want to hand off the heart of appreciation.
I want people to know that their effort matters to me. Because it does.
Celebration Makes Correction Easier
Here’s something I’ve learned: when encouragement is normal, correction doesn’t feel like criticism.
When someone on the team forgets something or makes a mistake, it’s not an attack, it’s just a reminder that we’re all working toward the same standard. Because the tone of our culture is celebration, people can hear feedback without shutting down. They know it’s coming from a place of care, not control.
That’s the kind of team I want to build, one where we can be honest and still kind, high-performing and still human.
Recognizing the Extra Mile
Every year, we give out two awards that help us live this out.
The Extra Mile Award goes to someone who’s gone above and beyond to help move the mission forward. It’s not about titles, it’s about heart.
And the RISE Up Award is given to someone (even outside of our organization) who embodies the spirit of Leaders of Today, someone who helps others rise higher. The first recipient was my friend Jade Cessna, who gave her all to help make RISE the best it could be. Jade constantly challenges me to be better and reminds me that celebrating others doesn’t make your light dim, it makes the whole room brighter. She has helped me behind the scenes to make RISE an INCREDIBLE conference that we have big dreams of taking nationwide. (You can learn more about her at jadecessna.com.)
The Takeaway: Celebrate on Purpose
Leadership isn’t just about what you achieve; it’s about how you make people feel while you get there.
Celebration doesn’t have to wait for a big milestone. It can be as simple as:
Writing a handwritten thank-you note
Sending a quick “I noticed your effort today” text
Hosting a “we did it” dinner after a long season
Naming someone’s strength in front of others
We’re not perfect, but we try. And I think that’s what makes all the difference.
Because when you build a culture of celebration, you don’t just get more done, you create a place people want to be part of. And that, to me, is what leadership is all about.
Why I Write
I write these posts as part of my own design cycle — to reflect, learn, and grow as a leader, a husband, and a follower of Jesus. My goal isn’t to sound like I have it all figured out, but to share the stories, lessons, and experiments I experiance long the way.
I believe leadership isn’t just about titles or influence — it’s about how we show up every day. It’s the small choices we make, the way we treat people, and the courage to keep trying even when things don’t go as planned.
I also believe we should dream big — to imagine what could be, not just what is. Every great idea, every movement, every changed life starts with someone who believed it was possible. The design cycle gives us a framework to turn those dreams into something real: plan it, build it, reflect on it, and share it.
Through writing, I hope to help people build the confidence to lead right where they are— to think differently, lead boldly, reflect honestly, and keep trying even when it would be easier to quit. My goal is to remind each of us that leadership doesn’t start someday in the future; it starts right where we are. We’re not leaders of tomorrow — we are Leaders of Today. And in everything I do, my hope is to worship Jesus through the way I live, lead, and love others.
Use what you read here to build your own cycle of growth.
Observe. Reflect. Adjust. Share.
Dream big — and then, start again.