Thanks a Million: An Ode to LaunchSquad’s Culture of Acknowledgment

On a wintery New England day nine years ago I shuffled through a blizzard for my first day at LaunchSquad. I walked into the building, dusted the snow off my coat, took a deep breath, and opened the door to the office. What greeted me on the other side were 12 smiling faces, eager to welcome someone new.

The warmth and kindness I experienced that morning wasn’t just one “good day” at the office. It was an embodiment of LaunchSquad’s company values. When you join the Squad, you receive a deck of cards on your very first day. Each card spotlights one of the core tenets and how we actualize them in our work. 

The one that jumped out at me was “acknowledgement.” 

LaunchSquad has built a true culture of gratitude. It began with weekly team meetings on Mondays, where we’d close each session with a chance to recognize our teammates. That might look like a manager praising someone for landing a big feature story, or a person thanking a peer for a much-needed gut check or real-time advice on a sticky situation. Our goal is to recognize moments where Squadders went above and beyond, lifted up their colleagues, or brought joy to the group through something unexpected and wonderful.    

When we shifted to working virtually in March 2020, we started an Acknowledgements channel in Slack so we could continue to share those moments with each other, even when we weren’t physically together. That Slack channel is a space dedicated to celebrating individuals and teams who are doing exceptional work or leading by example. These #acknowledgements happen everyday – even several times a day – and provide the Squad with an opportunity to applaud the dedication and hard work that our teammates put in as well as the magic they make when it all comes together. In 2023 alone, we shared 3,864 different acknowledgements. 

My favorite acknowledgements to read are the ones where a brand new teammate secured their first media interview or helped to facilitate a big story for a client. You never forget your first great placement. I’m also inspired by teammates who reel in reporters with story ideas that are 100 percent proactive (not based on a hard news moment) and are able to bring visibility to a brand during a slower time. 

We take this practice beyond the digital realm, too. Each year in November, we hand pick thank you notes and send each other snail mail. Our 115+ Squad members write handwritten cards to teammates who have lifted them up, encouraged them, and helped them to achieve new things. It’s an annual ritual we all look forward to.  

We also reserve time to toast to each other when we gather in person. Last fall we reunited in Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco to enjoy time together, meet new teammates and play very competitive rounds of bowling and mini golf. At those events, we had dedicated time for acknowledgements and across all four cities over 200 shoutouts were written and read. 

Listening to these personal moments between teammates helps put faces to names, get to know each other on a deeper level, and hear more of the backstories behind our work. During these sessions, we learn who is the team prankster, who is the client whisperer, who cracked a big white whale media target, and who pulled off the impossible when it seemed everything was stacked against us.

The work that we do is challenging. We’re launching companies and products that are first-of-their-kind. That takes creativity, persistence, passion, and grit. Acknowledging each other is part of how we keep ourselves excited, motivated and unafraid to take risks.

When a teammate steps up, we thank them. When we accomplish something meaningful as a group, we celebrate it. When we hit a big milestone, we take a moment to pause and soak it in. Recognizing each other’s efforts makes us all feel seen and appreciated.

If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in the #Acknowledgements channel.