Is Santa a Great Leader?

Paul Fieldhouse writes:

“Is Santa a great leader?”

We all will agree Santa is a great leader, a great guy, and he certainly has well developed emotional capital,
but what in particular do we see in his leadership behaviours?

Well as we all know one of the biggest benefits of being Santa Claus is the fact that he is on “the point.” Although everyone on his team works his or her little ears and antlers off to make sure their mission is accomplished, he is still the one who enjoys all the glory and is usually in the spotlight.

Who are the millions of letters received each year addressed to?

Him,

Who gets the credit for the elf-made presents found under all those trees each year?

He does.

Who enjoys milk and freshly-baked cookies in warm homes while the reindeer try to catch their breaths on cold rooftops?

You guessed it: Santa does.

Those benefits, and many more, are a large part of what gets and keeps Santa motivated. They’re great – great, that is, if you happen to be Santa. But, unfortunately, there’s only one Santa.

With the exception of an occasional field trip, most of the elves and reindeer don’t get to see and experience the same things that he does. So their feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment must come in different ways from other sources. As the leader, he plays a critical role in making that a reality.

One key strategy he applies in performing that role is to help each elf and reindeer see the positive differences that he or she is making for those we serve, and for each other; he helps them see their part of the big “making-people-happy” picture.

Motivate your elves & reindeers!
Nothing motivates employees more than knowing they’re making a difference, don’t just share good wishes and praise in December, make a promise and set a goal for finding your elves doing things right, all year round.

Be the optimist!
He is extremely optimistic, one of the key and most common features of great leaders, while many of the Elves are worrying about how they will complete the ever growing lists of presents, Santa believes in them and knows that they will pull together as a team under his direction and as a team meet their deadlines.

Try for a day, when asked “how are you?” please don’t reply “I’m not too bad”, how negative can we be? I challenge you to try this, answer for a day “I’m amazing!” .

You must try this for a full day, from when you rise to when you go to bed, something truly amazing will happen-just try it and for those who are brave enough you will let me know what happens? 

Self-Confidence!
He has buckets full of Self-confidence, regularly appearing in public, doing his bit to promote the business, this was not always so, originally a shy retiring gent, he pushed his comfort zone and found opportunities to build his self confidence by seeking public speaking opportunities and is now on high demand across the world in his busiest month, December!

His time management skills are just amazing, he ensures he spends regular time planning, time with his team, and time growing the team,

“grow your business by growing your team, not using them”, thats Santa’s mantra!