What I´ve learnt at the Year-End Corporate Party

"There is nothing more imminent than the impossible: 

what we must always prevent is the unforeseen."

Victor Hugo

The end of the year arrives and most companies seek to return in some ways the effort that each and one of their collaborators have made during the last 12 months.

This year was particularly special for our company given that had great changes happening and we learned to work remotely, adapted new leadership styles and we began to seriously follow-up on our professional and personal goals. Even some people took the chance to leave their desks and starting searching for new clients, and we had several new people entered our team.

There are many moments to celebrate, and to make this year-end party is to put a flourish and gather the energies we need to prepare for the new fiscal year.

It is already a tradition for our party to be held at a beach hotel, overnight. And I am a person who loves to have traditions (it will be perhaps because of my Argentine folklore). This year, however, many unforeseen situations happened that made me ponder on them and how to apply them to the work environment. Because after all they are things that happen on a daily basis:

* Plan ahead

Although we had planned to leave within the 2 hours needed to reach the destination at check-in time, the route was collapsed due to new construction issues and occasional flood. This made everything take almost an extra hour and a half beyond normal, and delayed the entire scheme of activities we had for that afternoon. Here the first lesson: in planning and logistics we must always consider a space for the unforeseen.

* Communicate, communicate, communicate

The previous point could have been foreseen if someone on the team had notified of those situations on the route. Part of the team live in the area where the construction was and, as they did not feel that this situation was out of the ordinary, they did not anticipate that this data could have been vital to leave some time earlier. Many times we forget that not everyone handles all the information, we tend to make assumptions, and we forget the importance of communicating. I am in favor of the over-communication, over the lack of it. (Also the rest of us failed to use a navigation app only until the time to start the trip).

* Use emotional intelligence

There were some situations with new people that somehow clashed with the values ​​of the rest of the team, or conversations that they held that did not consider that due to some cultural differences might not be well accepted with some people. Sometimes we tend to forget to value diversity in the workplace, trying to normalize some situations that are not easy for the rest of the people. Diversity is what makes organizational culture rich, so we must ensure that individual values ​​are respected over the institutional ones.

*Be flexible
The contingencies are part of this day to day, and learning to manage them is the key to moving forward. Generally, we tend to stress ourselves against this type of circunstance, but if we manage to change the focus of how we react to them we can take a competitive advantage. It is important to be aware that most of the time we cannot change the situation, but we can change how we personally react to it. And for me it is always better to do it in a positive way, learning to laugh at oneself, since at the end of the day...
what is best to take from work (and from life itself) than a good shared laughter?

Given this situation, there is no alternative but to be flexible in the face of the unexpected. The solution of confronting these people in a festive atmosphere was not going to have a positive result for the rest of the team. So sometimes it is useful to count to ten, think of alternatives to make things flow and handle assertive communication to prevent that situation from repeating itself.

* Do not abandon your traditions

Part of the team almost killed me for almost forcing them to go to make the traditional New Year toast on the beach. This year, with all the unforeseen events, our agenda was already extremely late, and the disco bar was open. The fact of delaying the arrival one more hour to tha dancefloor, was not to everyone's liking. But I insisted on having this moment, given that it is the only opportunity in which we can make a real pause, look at each other in the eye, meditate a few minutes listening to the sea, reflect on what we have reached and the challenges that await us. These traditions are important for organizational culture and strengthen us as a team. (I must admit that I had to be flexible, improvising and modifying the real activity I had in mind for that moment, which it was going to last like an hour, but I had to be aware of the interests of the whole group)

* Learn your values

One of the most entertaining activities we held was the realization of advertising videos by groups. Each team had to act a situation in which they communicated informing the services of the company, and the values ​​that represent us. It is important that several times a year we review our values, mission and vision, to ensure that our daily activities and objectives are aligned with our short and long term objectives.

* Celebrate the team

What better than finishing a year together exceeding the goals! The first thing is to thank each one of us who are part of the company, because personal effort was what led to the joint success of the organization. Sometimes hosting great parties or making extraordinary raffles are not necessary, but simple things that people notice that they are valued in the workplace. It is taking a few minutes to listen to people, share a coffee or some pizzas, and made them feel that their opinions are heard and taken into account.

* Reward achievements

The goals are the guide that we have to reach our business vision. A good objective must comply with the SMART method (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and with deadline in time), so if it was well formulated it implies an effort on the part of the team to accomplish it. Achieving these goals must be valued to celebrate the joint effort. Companies have different ways of doing it: bonuses in money, gift cards, days off from vacations, among others. Each one will know the best way to compensate the team considering their organizational culture. In our case, it was giving free days the last week of the year.

* Laugh at yourself

Happy Holidays and toast for a 2020 full of new unforeseen events!