Do you want to know the secret to leadership? You don’t have to look far for the answer. Just ask the guy in the big red suit. That’s right! He might not be Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg or Warren Buffet, but Santa Claus knows a thing or two about leadership, endurance and success. It doesn’t matter whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali or other religious celebrations, we can all learn from the legend of Ol’ St. Nick, as we share in this special issue of Promotional Consultant Today.
1. Build a wonderful workshop. In order to achieve a vision, you have to create a vision. Santa has a clear purpose: create and deliver toys to boys and girls around the world, and bring joy to their lives on Christmas Day. What is your purpose and how can others help you achieve it? If you can communicate your vision and values, they will guide you to the top.
2. Be likeable. Well, with Santa Claus, this is obvious. How can you not love a jolly old guy who’s “little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl of full jelly”? While you don’t need to be friends with those you lead, in order to have influence, you must be friendly, personable and likeable. Santa is a great role model for this.
3. Santa inspires. Good leaders bring out the best in people. They have an innate ability to engage people in their vision and get them to follow the same path they are taking. They are consistent, and able to encourage people to achieve great things. Santa has a lot of elves to inspire all year long; they model his energy and enthusiasm. What behaviors do you model that inspire others?
4. Choose your reindeer wisely. While all the others on the team looked down on Rudolph, Santa looked for his unique strengths. He saw how Rudolph could contribute in ways others could not, and how he could gain acceptance from fellow team members. In your business, promote the right people for the right reasons. Diversify your team and see the benefits of choosing different people for different strengths.
5. Make a list and check it twice. The presents must be made and ready to be loaded on the sleigh and delivered by December 25 every year without fail. In your climb to success, make the most of what you have, create a business plan and know the power of a deadline.
6. It’s not about the toys. Santa understands that great leadership is about moving hearts and minds, not just about moving presents around the world. This holiday season, as a leader, make an emotional connection with family, friends and co-workers instead of just giving them a present.
7. Have impact through presence. Santa Claus has tremendous impact when he makes an appearance, whether it’s in a holiday parade, at the mall or through a special North Pole email to a child. Leaders must be aware of the effect their presence has on their team as well. Be aware of the impact you have when you are in front of your team and deliberately maximize the positive effects you can create by your presence, just like Santa Claus does.
8. Share the milk and cookies. Santa’s figured out his values. He knows what he stands for—laughter and joy. He then delivers the same message, linked to those values, again and again every year. And he shares in his success with everyone around the world. How do you share your successes with your team? Let everyone be a part of the reward.
PCT will return to your inbox on Monday, December 28. Happy holidays from our team to yours!
Source: Sompong Yusoontorn is a Thailand-based sales manger and author of the Facebook page Happinessforbetterlife. He is also the author of more than 1,500 Slideshare presentations.