Santa’s Holiday Wish: I Want Effective Leadership for Christmas

“Bad leaders belong on the naughty list.” – Mrs. Merri Claus

When Santa and his wife, Merri Claus, transported me to the North Pole last year, I was beyond surprised to realize that their organization was not only real, but also an amazing example of effective leadership.

It shouldn’t have surprised me. Their organization serves billions of children all over the world. They must know which of those children are nice and which toys each nice child wants. And Santa must deliver the right toys to the right child in the right home in just one night.

From a parent’s perspective, explaining the workings of Santa’s Workshop to children can be a challenge. From an organizational perspective, the leadership, employees, and processes required to deliver Santa’s success boggle the mind. That’s what Santa wanted to share.

He explained, “Children believe in magic. Adults need magic, too. Think about the amount of time adults spend at work – about a third of their lives! I’ve seen both nice and naughty children grow up to be stuck and frustrated in jobs or industries they hate. That’s a lot of time to be unhappy. Santa Claus brings joy to the children of the world. Why should adults be left out?”

“But,” I objected, “business philosophy is hardly your field.”

With a twinkle in his eye, he explained, “I have been in handelzaak, what you call business, for a very long time now, and the toys get delivered every year, so I must be doing something right, and I think people will approve.”

With that, Santa and Merri took me on a tour of their workshop. They focused on leadership expectations, employee engagement, and process improvements. Their expectation? That I write and share a report on their best practices.

I’m here to share what I learned about effective leadership. Attend this session and unwrap Santa’s secret leadership strategies so you can deliver your own leadership magic. It’s one present that you won’t have to wait until Christmas to open.