When Edmund Hillary reached the top of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953 he was exhausted and exhilarated. He had attained a seemingly impossible goal. Standing at the top of the world, he plunged a British flag into the snow as a symbol of achievement. The mountain had finally been conquered.

Nearby, Hillary’s companion and guide, Tenzing Norgay, performed a different ritual. Tenzing knelt down and offered sweets and prayers to the gods and powers of the mountain. And, he buried a small pencil that given to him by his daughter Nima in the snow.

Both men made it to the top.
Both participated in a great achievement. And they each celebrated in different ways. Both forms of celebration have their place. Leaders need to use both.

Hillary’s celebration emphasized triumph and achievement.
There is an authentic thrill that comes from pouring your heart, body, and soul into a project – and achieving success. When you’ve put yourself on the line, invested your life energy, taken risks and persevered – it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate your individual effort.

Tenzing’s celebration emphasized gratitude and relationship.
When you’ve made it to the top of the mountain or the end of the project – it’s important to be grateful. To kneel down (at least in your heart) in recognition of all the support that made your achievement possible. Nothing of significance is ever achieved alone. At the end of the day everything is a team effort. And the team extends far, far, beyond those people who are obvious members of the team. Because, everything is rooted in reciprocity.

You don’t have to wait for an Everest-sized moment to start celebrating.
Acknowledging small wins along the way is essential. As Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner emphasize, setting, meeting, and celebrating small wins is core to building positive momentum.

And when you celebrate, include both Hillary-style acknowledgement and Tenzing-style gratitude.
Because, it’s likely that you “lean” towards one approach more than the other. And both are important. Too much emphasis on individual achievement and effort – can lead to self-importance and a sense of entitlement. Too much emphasis on interdependence can lead to dependence and lack of initiative.

Are you more likely to celebrate like Hillary or Tenzing?
•    How can you round out your celebrating?
•    Do you need to focus more attention on individual effort and achievement?
•    Or would you and your team benefit from cultivating a fuller sense of gratitude for your profound interdependence?

What’s a small win that you’ve recently accomplished?
•    How can you acknowledge your own effort, perseverance, passion?
•    How can you express your gratitude to others who have made this success possible?

What’s a small win your team has recently accomplished?
•    How can you acknowledge individuals for their personal effort, perseverance, passion?
•    How can you engage the team in expressing appreciation for each other and those outside the team who have made this success possible?

Related posts:

1. How (not) to measure success
2. How to be grateful