If you are anything like me, you found yourself glued to the television during primetime for at least a couple of nights over the last two weeks.  No, it wasn’t the start of a new season of Dancing With the Stars.  It wasn’t even the outtakes for America’s Got Talent.  I found myself compelled to check stay abreast of the unpredictable happenings at the Beijing Olympic games.

The games were filled with highs and lows. There were moments of majestic triumphs and greatness:

• Michael Phelps achieving an incredible 8 Olympic gold medals in swimming, one by no more than a fingernail!
• Misty May–Treanor and Kerri Walsh striking gold without losing a single set in Beach Volleyball.  Now let’s see if they can win the 2012 without losing a point!

There were moments of inspiration:

• The awesome abilities Dara Torres winning two Olympic Silver medals (she’s won medals at five Olympics) at the age of 41 in a sport dominated by youth
• Open water swimmer Natalie Du Toit from South Africa not only swam, but placed competitively though she was missing a leg!

There were expected moments – the NBA superstar stacked US Men’s Basketball “Redeem Team” winning the gold.  There were unexpected moments – both of the US 4X100 Meter relay teams dropped the baton and were disqualified.

I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue that the Olympic games brought.  It also made me think about a leadership topic:  celebrating triumphs and sharing the inspiring stories.  Often times as leaders, we can be so focused on achieving the organizational vision, on correcting the course, on taking corporate performance to the next level, [insert your own anecdote here] that we lose sight of the significant triumphs that we have achieved.  We need to take the time to relish in our people’s victories; to celebrate the successes along the way. 

By no means does this mean that we take our eyes off the goal.  Michael Phelps thoroughly enjoyed each victory.  Remember his primal scream after edging out Milorad Cavic in the 100 meter Butterfly by .01 seconds?  He took time to celebrate the victory, but kept his eye on the prize.

The other thought I had throughout the Olympics was “what makes these games so special?”  How often do you watch track meets? Gymnastics tournaments?  OK…maybe periodically, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t devote an afternoon to a fencing duel very often.  Yet once every four years, I find myself drawn to badminton, shooting, wrestling (not the “sports entertainment” version), and even table tennis.   Why?  Because of scarcity.  The Olympics are so special because they don’t happen often.

The same holds true of celebrating triumphs.  Over-celebration of victories lessens the meaning and value of the triumphs.  If everything is celebrated, the scarcity or specialness is gone.  While there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer, it is important to ask yourself the questions:  What is the right balance of celebration and scarcity in my organization?  How do I effectively use celebration to motivate and build the organizational culture?