Santa’s mission is simple:
Spread good cheer and make people happy.
Simple enough, right?
Oh, if it were only so…
Upon reflection, the
problem with this over-simplified mission statement is that Santa’s job is not
simple at all! It is very complex and fraught with unimaginable difficulties.
Santa’s Mission
The mission that Santa
is on is daunting:
- Multiple time zones
- A narrow window of execution
- Extreme weather conditions
- Dealing with Reindeer and Elves (little people)
- Personalized merchandise
- A most finicky clientele (ever-changing demographics of absolute believers, skeptics, form-believers and naysayers.)
- Oh, and this: “Failure is not an option!“
Only an adroit and seasoned leader
of exceptional capacity can deliver the goods (goodies) year after year.
So what is Santa’s secret? Read on!
Lead Like Santa
While participating in a recent Air
War College-sponsored Reindeer and Claus Studies (RCS) trip to the North Pole,
students from the Air War College experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to tour Santa’s World Headquarters.
Santa was busy–he is always busy–but
he made time to sit down with our group. After sharing a generous offering of
milk and cookies, he offered some insights into his success as a leader.
He did not look like any leader I
know, but when he began to speak, I noticed a twinkle in his eye and redness in
his cheeks.
He was authentic. He was in his
element. His message, albeit simple, was direct and to the point.
I did my best to capture every word,
but my hands were freezing. Sage advice straight from the big guy’s mouth:
Santa’s Six Immutable Principles of Leadership
1. Be Steady and Consistent
Santa cannot have a bad day. He
maintains a “Ho-Ho-Ho” attitude in all he does. It is infectious. His
steady demeanor underpins a healthy work environment for his Elves.
Santa uniquely balances the need to
be jolly with a focused determination to get the job done.
He message is consistent: “the right
toy, to the right child, in the nick of time, every time.” Everyone shares the
vision, everyone is on the team.
2. Lead by Example
Santa is a mentor for want-to-be
‘helpers’ all over the world. He works hard to maintain his unfitness; no child
wants to sit on a skinny Santa’s lap.
He never asks his Elves to do
anything that he has not done himself a thousand times before.
Moreover, he walks the walk of a
leader by assuming personal risk to deliver those presents to deserving boys
and girls. He sets the pace, he sets the example, and he leads from the front.
3. Reward Good Performance
Santa knows his reindeer and he
knows who is naughty and nice. He rewards good performance. Results matter,
they matter a lot. At the North Pole good performance is rewarded, good
performance is the standard.
4. Have a Personal Touch
Santa reads every letter written by
every child. He chooses the right toy and delivers that toy personally. Santa
might delegate authority to get things done, but the responsibility is his
alone.
5. Never Quit
Santa never gives up. One year he
had to think ‘out of the box’ when confronted with a thick fog that blinded his
veteran reindeer team. Santa, in a moment of genius, put Rudolph, an upstart,
at the front of his sleigh, making it possible to navigate from the iridescent
glow radiating from the young reindeer’s nose.
Santa, in his typical manner, gave
all the credit to Rudolph. Enough said.
6. Check everything twice
Not one to micromanage, yet nothing
is left to chance. Imagine a good child being left off of Santa’s list, or
worse yet, a bad child receiving an undeserved present.
Santa leads with a light touch, but
he knows how to ask the right questions, and when to get involved.
Believe and Achieve
The long flight back to Maxwell
Air Force Base allowed time to ruminate over Santa’s message. His leadership
style is not flashy (except for his red clothes, red sleigh and reindeer
team) but grounded in centuries of experience overcoming seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. Santa is the leader we all strive to become.
His principles work; one
must simply believe.
Merry Christmas!
