How Are You Recognizing Leap Day Today?

Over the last couple of weeks I asked several times on Twitter (and several folks were kind enough to RT) if anyone had special plans for today, Leap Day 2012. It only comes around once every FOUR years, quadrennially!

What else comes around that INfrequently?

 

  • Olympics (Can’t wait! Scheduled for London this summer. Watch as much as I can every cycle)
  • American Presidential elections (These are grueling for all of us to endure, even when your name is not on the ballot …)

But Leap Day / Leap Year? No one seems to feel quite as strongly about these … Perhaps I failed to reach someone born on Leap Day – surely such a person would feel differently? (You can see leapyearday.com for fun facts relevant to people born on  this unique day.)

Most of the responses I got back from my own query indicated it was just another Wednesday. For example:

    • @HeatherGNelson1 – I am meeting with client (and you) and going to basketball championship game. Lots of driving in between.
    • @MartaSteele – I’m going to drive carpool. Whoo hoo! #IKnowHowtoParty

With one exception – here’s your chance ladies!

But the bigger philosophical question remains:

If the commodity of time is short for everyone, and once, every four years, we’re given an extra day, why don’t we take the time to celebrate it? Do something special with it? Break out of the every day / every week patterns?

We’re forever challenged in corporate life to “think outside the box.” Perhaps celebrating / acknowledging special occasions, especially offbeat ones like Leap Day / Leap Year, is a way to change-up things just enough to help enable you to do that.

Very early in my career I worked for a supervisor who came in about 1 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon and told us we were all leaving the office for the day. When we asked where we were going, she said, “Dave and Busters.” She took our team there to play games and blow off steam for a few hours.

What wonderful team building out of the blue! And almost 20 years later, I’ve never forgotten her actions. It got us out of a rut and she modeled wonderful leadership behavior.

What can YOU do to shake things up for your team or your department in a good way?? St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner …

Betsy Winkler is a Partner at PeopleResults. She can be reached on Twitter at @BetsyWinkler1 or on email at bwinkler@www.people-results.com