Should company wins be celebrated in a way that also reinforces how far there is left to go?

Jeff Seibert · Nov 22, 2023

Founders should celebrate small wins with their team even if they personally never feel a moment is a success

A permanent 'we haven't won yet' mentality is demotivating for a team, who need to feel they're getting somewhere and connected to what's happening

Scope: applies to how you lead the team, not the founder's private mentality; wins must be celebrated 'correctly' — small weekly wins, e.g. a Friday show and tell

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Keith Rabois · Nov 27, 2023

Wins should be celebrated but immediately paired with a reminder of how far there is to go, because most startups that graduate Y Combinator fail from complacency and loss of momentum

Next quarter is never guaranteed to be as good as the last; a feeling of having already made it kills velocity, so it should always be day one

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Harry Stebbings · Nov 22, 2023 · hedged

Celebrating wins risks creating complacency; a paranoid, always-chasing posture is preferable

He and Jeff have never felt they've won and are always chasing someone

11:49 Stay perpetually paranoid and chasing rather than celebrate wins

Sam Corcos · Dec 11, 2023

Regularly celebrating wins is critical for team morale

Winning is an intoxicant — visible forward progress inspires people to push harder, while a constant sense of failing and losing is demotivating

14:41 Regular win celebration boosts morale like an intoxicant