In the spirit making this a greener Holiday season I am recycling a blog from last year!

It’s that exciting week before Christmas when kids cram for their big performance review. Where will the big guy watching from the North Pole mark them on the naughty-nice scale? Will it be enough to get them into the next gift bracket?

In the hustle and bustle of your own cramming, busyness, traveling, and shopping take a time out to contemplate the leadership lessons we can learn from Santa – but make sure you pull over or get out of the mall crowd’s path!

We Create Our Own Reality
Life is an optical illusion. Happiness is a choice. 90 percent of what we worry about never happens. How much more incredible is flying reindeer than wearing crap glasses, looking for all that’s wrong, and worrying ourselves sick?

Being Nice Has Its Rewards
Optimism, hope, and building on strengths means we enjoy life much more than the poor Grinch who’s making himself and everyone else miserable. We tend to get back what we give. Leadership research on Emotional Intelligence, team spirit, and high-performance cultures shows the payoffs of treating people well.

Leadership Can Come From Unlikely Places
Leadership is action, not a position. Rudolph saved the day because Santa was flexible and open to leadership emerging from unconventional places during the foggy crisis. He built a highly engaged team with a strong sense of commitment to each other and their mission.

Setting Priorities and Managing Processes
You think you’re overwhelmed! How about the logistics of delivering toys to all the world’s kids in 24 hours? The Big Guy and his team spend a large percentage of their year planning and preparing for the big day.

Stay Nourished and Get Help along the Way
Santa frequently stops for milk and cookies for himself and carrots for the reindeer. Although he might be better off with fewer cookies and more carrots, he does take the pause that refreshes and makes sure his team is well fed too. 

Let’s learn from Santa’s elf-help manual and take some time during the holidays to reflect on what’s really important before we rush headlong into the New Year.