Build your Tribe with Rituals

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between rituals and routines. According to psychologist Barbara H. Fiese, rituals symbolically communicate the idea that “this is who we are” as a group, providing continuity in meaning across genders, cultures and generations. Routines, on the other hand, are a way of communicating, “this is what needs to be done.”

For example, giving your child a bath at 5:00, followed by bedtime at 6:00, is a routine. But if you incorporate personalized moments like a special kiss, handshake or song, you can transform the routine into a meaningful ritual. Or having a workday start time of 8:00 and a daily meeting at 9:00, is a routine. But if you incorporate a kickoff song or a practice of saying one thing that we are all grateful for, you can transform the routine into a meaningful ritual that speaks to the idea of “who we are”.

Why are rituals important?

Rituals allow people to slow down and connect, and they’re associated with all sorts of powerful benefits like boosting morale, creating a sense of belonging, choosing to be kind, and being more productive.

According to a review by Fiese and her colleagues at Stanford, both routines and rituals provide stability and are associated with people’s sense of identity, health, achievement, and satisfaction. Maintaining these rituals even during times of transition like a merger or acquisition or a divorce can lower levels of conflict or stress and help people adjust to the change.

Rituals that instill responsibility:

1. Assigned Tasks

2. Rotation of Tasks

3. Time blocking for tasks

4. Collaborative Projects

Rituals that promote kindness and compassion:

1. Practicing Gratitude

2. Meditation

3. Volunteering

Rituals that boost positivity and productivity:

1. Huddle (or Cuddle at home) time

2. Time to Reflect on Day

3. Forum to give High Low Geronimo (high point, low point, and a goal they want to tackle)

4. Goal Getting road mapping

5. Purging of time wasting or negative activities

Rituals that build strong connections:

1. Themed Meals

2. “GEM” points (recognizing others that went above and beyond)

3. Sharing Tasks

4. A minute of listening to how someone feels about their day

5. Holiday parties

Rituals that build a sense of belonging

1. Collaborative projects

2. Contests or games

3. Gratitude jar (reading at annual party — New Year’s or other holiday)

4. Personalized Cake

5. Branded signs, hats, or pens, etc.

6. Invent company or family holidays

7. Weekly/Monthly themed days (Miracle Monday, Teach Me Tuesday, Workout Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, Funny Friday, etc.)

Remember creating a ritual means sticking with it, not skipping it on a whim. So think of things to incorporate that everyone would enjoy — and won’t be too much of a hassle to consistently carry out. Consistency is key in everything. Let’s get started transforming routines into rituals and build a healthy and thriving tribe!