Celebrate the Wins (Even if it Feels Awkward)
When I was a manager, I was terrible at celebrating wins of my employees. Not because I didn’t notice. Not because I didn’t care. Not because wasn’t impressed.
Mostly it because I didn’t like it when other people celebrated me and I was too focused on what was ahead.
It wasn’t until some brave members of my team requested that I pause and celebrate more that I really started to put some effort into it. Sometimes it still felt a little awkward, I think for me and for my employees. But it was so worth it to see them light up. Especially in the moments where they didn’t even see themselves what an accomplishment they had made.
Celebration Isn’t “Nice.” It’s Instruction.
Managers may think recognition is about a celebration of the past. And in some ways it is. But also, it’s a forward-looking activity.
Celebration tells someone:
I see you
I believe in you
I’m proud of you
I want you to keep going
Especially for early-career employees, celebration is one of the fastest ways to build confidence and clarity at the same time. When people are new, they’re constantly wondering: Am I doing this right? Do I belong here? Does anyone notice?
A well-timed celebration answers those questions without a long speech.
What I Didn’t Understand as a Manager
My comfort zone is “if you are doing a poor job or making mistakes, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, you can assume you are doing well.”
Most people’s brains don’t like that, though. Human brains are designed to fill in gaps and they usually get filled in with negative thoughts.
When you don’t celebrate, employees don’t think, “My manager is happy with me.” They instead think, “Maybe they are mad at me,” or worse, “Maybe I’m getting fired.”
When those thoughts creep in, disengagement isn’t far behind.
The Business Case is Simple
Celebration can be a driver of performance. It creates:
Faster learning curves (people repeat what gets reinforced)
Higher engagement (people feel seen)
Better retention (people stay where their effort matters)
Stronger culture (recognition becomes contagious)
If you want people to grow, you have to show them what “good” looks like—and let them feel the progress.
How to Celebrate Without It Feeling Weird
If you’re not naturally a “cheerleader” (I wasn’t), start here:
1) Name the behavior
“Your prep doc made the decision easy.”
2) Connect it to impact
“Because you did that, the meeting stayed focused and we moved faster.”
3) Invite the repeat
“Let’s keep doing that.”
That’s it. Specific. Grounded. Repeatable.
And if you want to level it up, celebrate in more than one direction:
Private (in a 1:1): builds trust
Public (in a team setting): builds visibility
Written (Slack/email): builds a record people can return to on hard days
The Best Managers Don’t Just Correct. They Reinforce.
It’s easy to find feedback on what early-career employees can improve. We just be just as cognizant of what they’re doing right—and why it matters.
Celebration doesn’t need to be big events with rewards. It can be in the simple moments that build confidence through clarity.
Let’s Talk
If you are a tech company curious to learn more about Taber Coaching and how we can support your early-career development, please get in touch.