Leap Into Your Human Connections
Tomorrow is leap day. There are historical, superstitious, and astronomical reasons our Gregorian calendar has a leap year. But to me it’s more fun to think of it as the universe gifting us with one extra day every four years.
What will you do with your extra day?
Whatever you do, I encourage you to make human connection a priority. February 29th will be a workday for most people, which gives you the perfect opportunity to increase your social support network on the job.
Friendship at work is key to your personal well-being and to your organization’s success. Various studies, including Gallup’s longtime work engagement survey, show that close friendships at work have a significant impact on happiness, engagement, productivity, creativity, retention, and profitability. People who have people, so to speak, outperform mere acquaintances because they are more committed to a shared project, offer positive encouragement, communicate better, and give feedback to provide necessary course corrections. When you work with someone you consider a friend, someone with whom you’ve shared personal stories and challenges, you don’t want to let them down.
At EPI, we never want our people to leave their personal lives at the door. We want people to show up with their hearts, not just their minds.
The importance of that has never been clearer to me than now as I acknowledge two invaluable EPI teammates and their recent noteworthy milestones.
In October, Deanell Sandoval, our VP of Leadership Development, celebrated 15 years as an EPI employee. And this month sees Jami Edwards, our Team Services Coordinator, at her 15-year mark also. That’s a long time to remain committed to an organization! And I have no doubt that a big reason for that commitment lies in the devoted friendship they’ve intentionally cultivated. They worked closely together on our leadership programs for many years and continue to be trusted advisors and friends to me, key collaborators and mentors for our team, and dedicated problem-solvers for our clients. I give them both my heartfelt thanks for making EPI better in every way.
So, for your extra day tomorrow, reach out to a work colleague and do something social. Grab a coffee. Take a walk outside together. Or, if you’re virtual like we are, pick up the phone and just have a fun conversation about what’s going on in your lives. Grow those friendships! (And please let me know how it goes.)
Cheers to Deanell and Jami and to everyone on my fabulous team. And cheers to having one more day this month to do something human, together.
Jami and Deanell
EPI friends for 15 years!
Recommended Reading
The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price
After learning more last month about science journalist Catherine Price and how she defines “True Fun,” I just had to order her newest book, The Power of Fun. It doesn’t disappoint! The idea of the simple things in life being fun and fulfilling has always been important to me, and I am totally engrossed in how Price manages to weave together science and personal experience. She is such a relatable writer that I plan on reading her book How to Break Up with Your Phone soon!
More Good Stuff from EPI
