Nicholas Claus – or Santa as he likes to be called, runs a globally successful B2C toy manufacturing and distribution business. The business is weighed heavily in favour of admin – 364 days a year rather than delivery – just one day a year – rather like YODEL.
His distribution business was an early adopter of the no doorbell/no delivery note policy approach. He prefers to leave packages under trees, at the end of beds and tucked into stockings! In addition, clients are expected to be in and asleep rather than awake and listening out for him, to leave out refreshment for both the delivery driver and his delivery team, again, remarkably like Yodel.
The business has been in existence for some 1300 years and, although successful in terms of brand recognition, is now looking slightly dated.
This is where Leading Green stepped in and helped Santa look at Santa’s leadership skills and future development needs.
As a leadership slogan, I hear you say that this is not enough motivation to inspire others. Leaders must model the behaviours they expect from others. In 360-degree feedback exercises, Santa is widely recognised as honest, genuine in his belief that there really are good little boys and girls out there, and ethical in running his organisation and business activities.
However, whilst claiming to be a responsible business, following all the rules, telling the truth, and never breaking promises. A quick audit of past activities quickly revealed that Santa often fails to follow the Highway Code during deliveries, has never published the truth about his tax affairs, and is widely known for breaking and entering into premises around the World.
However, Santa is explicit that your presents depend on your good behaviour, so you’d better not cry; you’d better not pout over these findings.
Who goes into the holiday season without making a list?
Santa pays great attention to detail and obviously likes making lists and setting specific goals. It is clear that his attention to detail and his checklists are the keys to managing his upcoming and hectic delivery schedule.
His Time management skills seem critical to the way Santa keeps on top of his Christmas evening 12 hour delivery schedule, though we questioned why he needs to spend the other 364 days spent making and checking lists.
Performance management is key in leadership and vital in exercising authority. When giving specific feedback to elves on how they are doing, Santa obviously wants them to try to eliminate future mistakes but did find evidence that he does like to sugarcoat his disciplinary messages in everyday elf management.
His customers know that if they are well behaved all year round, they will receive a gift from Santa on a designated December pay-out date every year, in the middle of the night, but only if they are asleep. Conversely, if they are naughty all year, they know to expect nothing or, at best, a lump of coal in their stockings. Santa’s system is not only meant to reward but to signal and give feedback to children clearly. The message is so clear and simple that even a 3rd old can understand it!
Santa’s vision and purpose are all about peace and happiness on Earth and the gift of giving. His vision is easy to connect with. It resonates with both the chattering classes and the great unwashed, inspiring!
His strategic plan is centred on a focal point – Christmas Day, and all actions are centred on the run-up to Christmas morning. This provides a focal point for his vision to become a reality.
Making his vision tangible (or tangerine-able) helps people touch and feel the vision, which helps them embed it into the culture of his organisation and customers.
A vision that isn’t articulated isn’t much more than a dream, and the early communication of his vision from September onwards gets his customer base excited about it.
To help build a ‘can do’ positive atmosphere, Santa has adopted a cheery, laughter-filled persona towards his elves, reindeer and customers. Given that Santa’s workshop emits no carbon emissions apart from one fireplace in his study, it almost seems to us as if the organisation run purely on positive energy. By creating contagious enthusiasm, leaders help others solve problems together.
Despite the enormous amount of pressure Santa operates under during the delivery schedule, the repeated overdosing on sherry and mince pies, combined with the exertion in squeezing down 1.9 billion chimneys. Nevertheless, Santa genuinely enjoys what he does.
Think about it, when have you ever not seen Santa in a good mood?
Good leaders provide their teams with the skills and knowledge to be successful. But, just training them to do their jobs isn’t enough. The bigger gift is helping them learn and grow as individuals.
So as a final message this Christmas, give careful thought to what presents you are giving to your loved ones, pick those that can give a lifetime of happy memories because few people have inspiring visions in just their socks or when wearing cheap perfume!
Have a Happy Christmas from all of us at Leading Green.
Remember your New Years Resolution to contact us early in 2022