Thanksgiving Edition: Celebrating Your Wins

Thanksgiving is here and if you’re like most founders, you’ll spend a moment feeling grateful…..then immediately move on, chasing the next fire.

But what if the real unlock is incorporating gratitude and celebration into your operating rhythm and not just once a year.

When companies skip reflective gratitude or fail to celebrate, team burnout spikes and momentum dies. According to Deloitte (2023), 82% of workers feel under appreciated…wow

Let’s take a quick look at some ideas…so you can get to Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.

Gratitude and Celebration: The Performance Duo

Gratitude

Gratitude is an inner state.

It’s the feeling of appreciation for what is — progress, people, lessons, opportunities, or even obstacles you’ve grown through.

Gratitude is reflective and grounded. It anchors you.

Celebration

Celebration is an outer expression.

It’s the act of marking a win, acknowledging progress, or recognizing growth in a visible, intentional way.

Celebration is active and energizing. It fuels momentum.

How They Work Together

You can describe them as two halves of the same experience and together…they create a full loop.

You notice the good (gratitude) and you honor it (celebration).

Founder Move: Don’t let Thanksgiving be your only checkpoint. As Modern Operators, we want these habits to drive resilient growth, not just seasonal starts.

How to Apply in November

1. Give Gratitude to a Team Member: Drop one sincere, specific note of gratitude for a teammate’s effort.

2. Celebrate a Win: Share the story of a project that finished this fall…and recognize the people behind it, not just the outcome.

3. Book 10 Minutes for Yourself: Quietly list 3 moments you’re grateful for this past week.

4. Install a Ritual: Add a “micro-win” celebration to your weekly leadership meeting…no feast required.

Keep it light, real, and repeatable. This becomes part of who you are as a leader…not just ceremonial.

Final Thoughts

Bottom line: Gratitude grounds you. Celebration energizes your team. Together, they create a flywheel for excellence. This is how Modern Operators scale, season after season.

Issue 30 of Modern Operators. We help founder-led businesses scale by making clarity, momentum, and gratitude part of the operating system.