Last week, during our annual cycle ride with friends in France, we came across an unexpected obstacle.
The gate was locked. There was no obvious way through, and turning back would have meant abandoning our route (see photo here)
What happened next captured three words that shape how I think about tackling challenges:
Care. Collaborate. Celebrate.
💛 Care meant noticing who needed support and making sure everyone—and every bicycle—could get across safely.
🤝 Collaborate meant sharing the lifting, steadying the bikes, offering a hand and working out the solution together.
🥂 Celebrate came later, around the table in our hotel restaurant, reflecting on the day and enjoying what we had achieved together.
In organisations, we often focus on the visible celebration: the completed project, the target reached or the successful outcome.
But celebration rarely happens by accident.
It is usually built on the care people show one another and their willingness to collaborate when an unexpected gate appears in the path.
Care creates trust.
Collaboration creates solutions.
Celebration reinforces what is possible together.
Which of the three Cs could make the greatest difference to your team this week?
All the best
Julie
