• Agile & Scrum Basics

Fresh Start tip 2: Celebrate the beginning, not just the end

In the world of sports, the new season often starts with a kick-off. With the presentation of new team members, training on basic skills, getting to know each other better and celebrating the new sports year starting. As a dog instructor (yes, not many people know that), I recognize that feeling very well. Every new course that starts is an important moment for me. Not only for the dogs, but also for the owners. The first lesson sets the tone. It sets the energy, cooperation and confidence with which we go into the rest of the course. You want to take the time for that.

Yet teams at work often forget that kick-off, in my experience. The first day of work after a vacation often feels like “just starting again.” No special start, no marking of a new beginning. The result? Teams get stuck in the aftermath of the vacation, energy comes slowly if at all. In my opinion, a missed opportunity.

Choose a starting point: small or large

My advice for when you return to work: consciously create a strong starting moment. Celebrate that you are back together, that you get to pick up something new. Don’t start with a boring status meeting, but with something energizing. In my classes as a dog instructor, I do the same. We never start with immediate “command practice,” but often with a short, playful exercise. Or just with something that makes dog and owner laugh for a moment. That takes the tension away and gives pleasure. At work it can be just as good: a shared lunch, an inspiring video or a short workshop on personal goals. Or you can go bigger, with a hackathon, creative session or, as I recently experienced at a large organization, an inspiring speaker.

This is how you create team spirit and direction

Look, in sports we know the power of momentum. The same is true in organizations. By intentionally marking the beginning, you create team spirit, motivation and direction faster. People again know why they do what they do and start with energy.

A practical example from my own practice: on the first day after the vacations, don’t plan a regular daily scrum, but an inspiring retrospective in which you reflect on successes before the vacations and set goals together for the coming quarter. As far as I’m concerned, the tone then is light-hearted, positive and forward-looking. Want something extra special? Go outside together for an energizing team-building activity.

Think about how you begin

The power of a Fresh Start is not only in new goals, but especially in how you start. Celebrate the start, create connection and energy, and you will find that results will follow naturally. Just like a dog and its owner who start a new workout with joy and confidence, a team that consciously marks its start will get going with more focus and energy.

On to Fresh Start Effect Tip #1: Start with rhythm, not speed.