Team leaders leading virtual teams need to find ways to celebrate team successes even if the team never gets together in one location. When the team leader takes the time to celebrate the team successes, enables for more cohesive teams and keeps the team motivated and morale high.
Consider any of these best practices to celebrate the successes of the team:
- Use a collaboration portal (I personally use Microsoft SharePoint® and love it!) to enable for a place for the virtual team to “meet.” Use this portal to share successes of the team and its members.
- Celebrate by creating a little party at each remote site. Coordinate with administrators at the site to have a cake available for anyone on the team at that site – even if it is just one person!
- Ask team members to share their successes during virtual team meetings. A success does not have to be a big one to share with the group – even the smallest successes should be shared.
- Send a gift to virtual team members to congratulate them for a job well done – consider a gift certificate for a local restaurant. Again, coordinate with administrators at the site to find the perfect gift!
And don’t just celebrate the successes of the team! Consider also celebrating personal events such as team member’s anniversaries, birthdays, or the birth of a child. These personal milestones are just as important as the work-related successes.
What have you done to celebrate the successes of your virtual team members?
