February 29 - What Would You Do with an Extra Day?

Today is Leap Day, an extra day on the calendar. Use it well, because there are no guarantees on how long our important relationships will last, whether they’re in our business or personal lives. So take advantage of every opportunity daily to grow the people around you and to learn from them in turn.

Ask yourself several questions. Are you giving enough of yourself to these important people? Can you see your positive influence on them? Have you helped prepare them to pass on to others the lessons you’ve shared? Do these people know how much they mean to you? Are you ready to let them go?

To judge whether you are doing this successfully or not, try this. Imagine one of your most important relationships is drawing to a close, but you get one extra day with that person. Would you do anything differently on that special day? If the answer is yes, you have some more giving to do.

One of my most important business relationships isn’t ending today, but it is certainly entering a new phase as someone who is a wonderful friend and a tremendously talented and important member of the team takes the leap to the next exciting phase of her career.

And as sad as this type of transition can be, it’s among the most gratifying things in business to see some of the very special, talented researchers I’ve worked with go on to be so successful in their careers. As that group grows by one today, they all make me so proud to have learned from them and to have been a part of their professional growth.

P.S. To learn directly from one of them, check out next Friday's blog with our first guest blogger, as Brad Barash at Decision Insight throws up some ideas on communicating research more effectively.