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Imagine the logistics: tens of millions of households.
Billions of toys and gifts. The biggest team of toymakers
ever assembled and eight tiny reindeer, plus back-ups.
Surely, it’s enough to give any Old Elf a headache but, for
hundreds of years, without fail, Santa has delivered
Christmas with a personal touch.
So how does he do it?
The first thing, says Santa, is to make sure everybody –
from senior reindeer all the way down to newly-hired elves -
knows your business mission and its meaning. Then, keep your
employees first in mind because “you can’t possibly focus on
your mission without also focusing on the folks that make
your mission happen.”
Hire wisely, Santa says, which is a lesson he learned the
hard way: you can well imagine what a mess it is to have a
Reindeer Team that’s off-kilter. If you promote from within,
be sure the person is ready and able to handle the job;
you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle if you do. Once you’ve
got a great team, teach them to be successful, then be sure
to recognize them for the great job they do for you.
Much like the Big Guy, you’ll want to make your list (plan)
and check it twice (to be sure you’re staying the course).
Touch base with employees often, to ensure that they’re
on-track, too. On that note, pay attention to the people who
work for you: both in how they perceive you and in the
suggestions they might have for the job.
Help your employees to accept change, utilize “Santa’s CALM
Model,” and finally, be a leader. The elves expect that from
Santa and “your people expect the same of YOU!”
You’ve already dropped a few hints. Everybody knows what to
get you for Christmas, and it might have something to do
with your business. Even Santa knows what you need and he
wraps it up here.
And while that may seem somewhat juvenile to the Scroogiest
of readers, I had to admit that The Leadership Secrets of
Santa Claus offers good guidance. With humor that
sometimes borders on too-cute, (co?)-author Eric Harvey
easily relates the business issues of the North Pole to that
of, really, any workplace. His advice can be repetitive, but
it’s sound and simple enough to implement quickly; in fact,
each chapter ends with quick takeaways and the book itself
wraps up with checklists and final reminders. That’s a nice
surprise at this busiest of times.
This particular edition of this book is a new version of an
old classic, and it’s worth reading all over again. If you
want a happy ho-ho-holiday at work, The Leadership
Secrets of Santa Claus will make you shout.
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