29 Février

Aux USA, le 29 Février s'appelle Leap Day. Très joli mot pour fêter cette journée caractéristique des années bissextiles.

A une époque moins moderne qu'aujourd'hui, ce jour la, les femmes avaient le droit de demander a l'élu de leur coeur de les épouser...

Plus récemment, une tendance semble se dessiner pour profiter de ces 24 heures "bonus" pour faire le bien autour de soi, faire de petites actions qui feront que chacun autour de soi se sentira quelqu'un. Ca peut être une petite carte (n'oublions pas que nous sommes aux USA!), ou une petite attention culinaire (donuts...). A ce propos, j'aime bien cet article qui donne quelques conseils d'un point de vue professionnel :

Leap Day: Don't Waste Your Extra 24 Hours

David Sturt and Todd Nordstrom, Forbes

There’s no parades, or parties, or celebratory cakes. There’s really not much hoopla associated with Leap Day at all—except for maybe a few lame jokes about how it won’t happen for another four years.

On Leap Day, you’ll show up to the office at the same time as usual. You’ll check your email as usual. The whole day will be pretty much usual. But, it shouldn’t be.

Almost unnoticed, Leap Day comes in and out of our lives—an extra 24 hours every four years that, because we don’t plan for anything special to happen, nothing does. But, here’s a thought. What if instead of just letting it pass, you used those 24 hours to do the really important things you meant to do all year long, but could never find the time for. What if you used your extra 24 hours to invest in your team’s happiness, motivation, and success at work by appreciating their great work.

Perhaps you’ve made excuses for why it showing appreciation is not a top priority at work. The number one excuse we hear from leaders is, quite simply, lack of time. But what if we told you that lack of appreciation is one of the top reasons for employee turnover? And, that the self-reported number one-way to inspire great work is to make employees feel appreciated? You’ve got an extra 24 hours on Leap Day. Imagine how good it would feel to make it it count for the next four years.

Wondering how to get started? Follow our Leap Day plan to jump-start a recognition revolution that will inspire great work!

9 a.m. – Begin Leap Day with a fun team activity to kick off a day focused on appreciation. You could bring in donuts for everyone, host the first meeting of the day at a nearby coffee shop, or give the team a “late start” day, and have them come in an hour late. Share your goal of delivering more genuine appreciation, and get the team on board.

11 a.m.  – At your weekly standup meeting, give team members the assignment of each writing three cards of appreciation that week, and delivering them to friends and colleagues throughout the team, department, or even company. Spread the word on recognition so that everyone’s contributions can be appreciated.

12 p.m. – Have a fun and educational team lunch. Provide a delicious catered meal, and spend the hour brushing up on the basics of what delivering meaningful recognition truly entails—and why it matters. Check out webinars, podcasts, or other resources you can peruse as a team to pick up the latest recognition best practices.

2 p.m. – Set aside some time to look through your calendar and designate a half-hour block every week to recognize someone’s great work. Research shows that employees most benefit from recognition if it’s delivered once every seven days. And once that meeting is in your calendar, you won’t ever be able to use the “I don’t have time!” excuse again.

6 p.m. —Take appreciation home. Tell those loved ones that Leap Day only comes around once every 4 years, and that you want to make sure those extra hours count. Tell the people you love why you appreciate them.

Focusing on appreciation is a serious way to celebrate Leap Day right. Nevertheless, the true beauty of this Leap Day goal is that the impact you create will last far beyond February 29. If you implement the lessons you learn on employee recognition at work, you’ll be inspiring great work in your team throughout the year. And, if you take appreciation home, you’ll create memories that can last a lifetime.

The world needs more appreciation. Leap Day is a great place to start. But, let’s not wait 4 more years to repeat these great exercises. Incorporate any of them into a weekly or monthly team routine, and you’ll be shocked at the impact you can make for years to come.

You’ve been given an extra 24 hours. What will you do with it?