By Mike Hoban
Christmas season film favorites are not just entertaining, some of them contain valuable leadership lessons. So in the holiday spirit, here are some examples of well-known and mostly well beloved seasonal celluloid and their lessons.
A Christmas Story
Leadership Lesson: Sometimes you have to take some intelligent risks in order to reap big rewards, even if the skeptics and naysayers tell you that you might shoot your eye out. Act upon your inner Ralphie.
It’s a Wonderful Life.
Leadership Lesson #1: You as a leader often have no idea of the unintended positive impact you have on others and unfortunately, there is usually no Clarence angel to show you. Lesson #2: Every time you hear a bell ring it means someone has earned his/her leadership “wings.”
National Lampoon Christmas Vacation
Leadership Lesson: As a leader, setting accurate expectations about the organization’s reward system can help you avoid disengaged and disgruntled employees. An added bonus for viewing this movie is enjoying one of the very classic movie lines, as uttered by Chevy Chase’s character. “Am I surprised? Why Eddie, I wouldn’t be more surprised if I woke with my head sewn to the carpet.”
Miracle on 34th Street
Leadership Lesson: Being seriously - I mean seriously - customer focused might mean sending your customer to someone else if they have a better solution, as Kris Kringle in the movie suggested that shoppers go to his sponsoring store’s arch-competitor Gimbels. Sometimes enhancing the long-term relationship and trust is more important than making an immediate sale.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Stop Motion Animation Classic)
Leadership Lesson: The power of diversity gets a lot of lip service but in this low-tech classic production it’s the odd, eccentric Rudolph who brings his unique and heretofore unappreciated quality (his glowing nose) to the table and enables Santa, the leader, to accomplish his task. Despite that valuable lesson, it is a truly awful and annoying production and leaders are urged to acquire that lesson through other means.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Leadership Lesson: You as a leader can overcome significant character flaws or executive derailers through self-awareness and intentional action. Even a negative, narcissistic reputation like the Grinch’s can be repaired through authentic and consistent positive behavior.
Elf
Leadership Lesson: Embracing, advocating and acting upon your beliefs and vision can enable others to believe in and achieve a desirable outcome, even if it seems preposterous to others initially. Plus, every leader can increase his/her credibility with younger employees by knowing there are four main food groups: candy; candy canes; candy corns and syrup.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Animated)
Leadership Lesson: Good grief, leading by example can be a powerful way of capturing the hearts and minds of others in times when a paradigm shift is needed. Come to think of it, this is something of a theme for all of these seasonal productions.
Anyway, a most happy holiday season to all DDI Talent Management blog readers and I hope that I and my blogger colleagues have brought you some insights and inspiration in 2011.
Mike Hoban is a senior consultant with DDI.
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