Part 2 – Field Guide

Ten Leadership Secrets from Santa Claus

The following Ten Secrets are excerpts from Eric Harvey’s Book, The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus. To read the exact interpretation of Santa’s leadership secrets, you can purchase the book from Ignite Reads and/or Simple Truths. Simply go to www.simpletruths.com and search for the book. 

Secret #1:  Build a Wonderful Workshop. Santa has a Mission Statement for his Workshop, “Making Spirits Bright by delivering high-quality toys to good little girls and boys”. He then makes sure all the elves and reindeer know the mission and why it’s important. This statement is posted on the walls throughout the workshop and everything they do throughout the year is done with this statement in mind.  Create a mission statement for your business and make sure your people are motivated enough to carry it out.

Secret #2: Choose Your Reindeer Wisely.  Santa says, "Hire Tough So You Can Manage Easy".  Because it’s your employees who ultimately carry out your mission, make staffing your single most important responsibility. Spend more time upfront on the hiring process. Promote the right reindeer for the right reasons. Your best employee isn’t always your best manager.

Secret #3:  Make a List and Check it Twice. Plan your work. Work the Plan, and make the most of what you have. Everyone at Santa’s workshop has goals and a clear plan of what they need to accomplish, who’s all involved in the project, and when it needs to be accomplished.  Employees want to have clear expectations of what is expected of them. It’s the leader's job to make sure that the right person is equipped with the tools and knowledge to complete the job satisfactorily.

Secret #4: Listen to the Elves.  Like most business owners, there was a time when Santa did a lot of the work himself. As the world grew he went from “doing” to more “managing”.  Because he’d “been there”, he was pretty sure he knew more than the elves. He learned that when he opened his ears and eyes, he could learn a lot from the elves.  When is the last time you “asked” for your employees' opinions? We can learn a lot if we open our eyes and ears and walk a few miles in their shoes!

Secret #5:  Say Ho! Ho! Ho! But Don’t Forget the Snow. The Ho! Ho! Ho! is all the “experience”. Build a contagious enthusiasm among everyone in and around the workshop. Prepare them to expect and to be prepared for the unexpected, and then solve problems as they arise together.

Secret #6:  Give Them Gifts That Last a Lifetime. This chapter is about training your elves. Not just training them to do their jobs, but also teaching them how to be successful. Teach and train them to work and communicate well with others and display positive attitudes. Most people take this for granted and just expect employees to do this.  Santa’s EICOT (Elf in Charge of Training) displays this quote on his office wall, “Don’t just teach them how to do their jobs. Also, teach them how to be successful!”  Teach success skills, reinforce relationships, and push pride and professionalism.

Secret #7: Get Beyond the Red Wagons. Help everyone accept change. There was a time when the shiny red wagon was the most produced and delivered gift. Getting the elves/employees to accept that video games were the new thing wasn’t easy. In the book, Santa provides valuable lessons on how to get employees to accept change. Remember, the customer is really in charge. If you can teach the employees “the business of your business”, they will be more apt to accept the change, knowing that it's best for the future.

Secret #8: Share the Milk and Cookies.  From Santa’s perspective, he reaps all the rewards, the thank you letters, the hugs, smiles, and yes, the fresh warm cookies and milk. It’s important that the employees see and feel the positive impact they have on your customers and your company. This doesn’t always mean monetarily. Words, recognition, and input are often as impactful as money. Having a system in place to make sure this happens is key. 

Secret #9: Find Out Who’s Naughty and Nice. It isn’t all sugar plums and candy canes at Santa’s workshop. The elves, like your employees, aren’t perfect, and from time to time, how and when to handle certain behaviors can be challenging. Santa suggests dealing with performance problems individually, not as a group, and handling them early and calmly before they get too big. That lesson is for the naughty elves. The middle performers and superstars, or the nice elves, need to be recognized as well. The return is substantial.

Secret #10: Be Good For Goodness Sake. Santa’s final rule is about him. He is the leader and it’s up to him to set the example.  His actions, whether good or bad, are the performance standards that the elves will follow. Would we expect anything less of Santa? No, and your employees expect the same from you!

There you have it, Santa’s Leadership Secrets. I can assure you that reading the book in its entirety will be a gift that keeps on giving. Follow Santa’s lessons and you too will have a workshop that is as well-respected as his!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!