Christmas: An Opportunity To Lift The Team

Mal Fletcher Added 15 December 2010

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How Christmas Can Help You As A Leader

‘Christmas,’ said Norman Vincent Peale, ‘waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.’

We may not all share Peale’s natural romanticism, but Christmas is still a very special season for most people.

For folks in many regions of the world, young or old, religious or not, Christmas stands alone as the season for festivity and fun. They also value the opportunity it provides to reflect on a year that's ending and another that’s about to begin.

Right now, members of your leadership team will be looking forward to holidays and the bonhomie of time with friends and family. But for leaders who are willing to think creatively, this season also provides unique opportunities for team motivation and the boosting of esprit de corps.

You will do yourself and your enterprise a huge service for the year ahead if you invest in the following five gifts for your team.

Affirmation

Nelson Mandela has wisely observed that one of the easiest ways to gain someone’s trust is to make them feel valued.

From long practice, Mandela learned the art of working with people who considered themselves to be his enemies. He won their trust over time by affirming their basic individual human dignity; by showing an interest in their unique situations.

As human beings we don’t simply welcome affirmation, we feed on it. It seems that we came into the world with a deep, innate need to feel that our lives matter.

We crave the knowledge that our presence is a welcome event for our fellow travellers through life – especially for those with whom we live and work most closely.

Some say that encouragement is the breakfast of champions. In fact, it's been my experience that it is the breakfast, lunch and dinner of people who excel.

At Christmas, people quite naturally pause to take stock of their individual progress over the past year. You have a wonderful opportunity to inspire loyalty by speaking into that process, through meaningful encouragement. 

For some in your team this may be even more crucial, as they face a bittersweet Christmas season of reflecting upon relationships that are fractured or strained.

A few well chosen words, respectfully given, can make a huge difference to the drive each team member feels to contribute to your goals. Affirmation shows that for you each individual is more than a cog in the corporate wheel.

Stimulation

Reading is one of those gifts in life that we tend to take for granted. Yet so much of what we learn about themselves, other people and our world comes via the written word.

Even in the age of digital media, where video and audio compete for our attention, we still derive much of our learning from text.

A good personal library is not just a source of pleasure; it is a vital tool for self-advancement and enrichment. I like to think of my book collection – including my e-books – as a room full of mentors waiting to connect with me.

Few things show how much you value your team like the gift of carefully selected books.

I’ve long maintained the practice of giving books as a symbol of appreciation. Earlier this year, I was very moved and inspired by reading Invictus, the story of Nelson Mandela’s first months as president of South Africa.

I immediately sent copies to associates and strategic partners in various projects around the world. I sent it to people whom I knew shared a certain interest in leadership in the political sphere. I knew that it would impact them as it did me.

Giving books is always most effective if you can match a book to the skills and drives of each individual in your team. You may not know their tastes when it comes to novels, but with a little forethought, you will be able to pinpoint a book that might stimulate them in the area of ideas.

Be creative here. Avoid the typical management books that everyone seems to head for first. Look at the possibilities in other sections of the bookstore – real or online.

Biographies, for example, can contextualise ideas in real-time situations. That’s why I appreciated Invictus; it was in many ways the best leadership book I read this year – though it doesn’t read as a leadership book!

Spend time on choosing the right title or titles. Look for the quirky and interesting books that your people might not otherwise have found.

The right reading material is, as the saying goes, the gift that goes on giving. 

Recognition

Feedback is the collective, team-oriented version of personal affirmation. Individuals need recognition, but so do organisational groups.

People working in teams need to know that they’re collectively on track when it comes to meeting long-term projected goals.

Even more, they need reassurance that their collective efforts are meeting needs beyond bottom-line considerations such as share-holder profits.

The original Christmas story is one of selflessness and service to humanity. That story has inspired so many others that convey the same qualities, such as Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Whether or not people consider themselves religious, they appreciate the opportunity to reflect on the value of their contribution to the wider human community.

Again, a few thoughtfully chosen words from you on this can do wonders for morale. Put some time into what you can say to your team that will answer some of their biggest questions.

How have we made a real difference to our city over the past year? Where is the impact of our work most visible in the world beyond the corporate front door? What measurable difference are we making outside the narrow confines of our particular industry or sector?

If you lead a not-for-profit company or charitable organization, never assume that because they’re working for a charity your team will automatically feel fulfilled. Often, the reverse is the case. 

People sometimes feel that because they work for a charity they should feel nothing but a warm glow. Charity work is by definition helping people to lead better lives, often at the point of their greatest need - surely, no other motivation or recognition should be needed.

Actually, people in the Third Sector often need more affirmation in this regard, as they can start to believe that thanklessness is just a part of their job.

Nothing deflates a person like feeling overlooked. Whether you’re in the corporate, civic or charity sectors: your team members need to be shown specific examples of the value they bring, for individuals and communities.

Celebration

Christmas is, for most people, automatically associated with celebration.

In line with the spirit of the season, most businesses provide a Christmas party or end-of-year drinks gathering where team members can enjoy down-time together. These events can be great opportunities for team bonding - and for letting people see their leadership in a more human light!

Sadly though, in some cases, "works parties" are dreaded affairs. They offer nothing more than an opportunity for office rivalries – and, yes, romances – to express themselves freely, without the constraints of normal office decorum.

The keys to a really attractive end-of-year event are simplicity, sincerity and brevity.

Keep things simple. Don't overdo it on the alcohol or the "atmospherics". Be tasteful in the choice of venue, music and food on offer.

Keep it real, too. Remember, people will still thinking of your Christmas drinks-do as a work event. There's no need to go overboard trying to turn it into something else.

You don't need to provide a tree-hugging, gift-giving family banquet; nor do you need to turn on the all-out knees-up that people expect at a football club social. 

Some office decorum should still apply. Parties where “anything goes” may sound great, but the most interesting events are those where people have fun without any pressure to perform.

Finally, keep it relatively brief. People do have other priorities a Christmas, so don't prolong things to the point where people feel obliged to stay longer than they’d like. As with many things in leadership, it’s best to leave people wanting more.

Inspiration

As your people approach year's end, it's a great idea to leave them with a sense of anticipation for the year ahead and what they can achieve together.

How is this done? Well, the least inspiring option is usually for the office manager or CEO to give the team a pep talk. Most corporate leaders and managers are not particularly gifted public speakers.

As a special Christmas bonus for your core team, why not import a good speaker or leadership trainer who can work with your brief to create a team occasion that people will long remember? 

The emphasis should be on adding value to people’s skills, not simply offering a hyped up motivation talk. People are more inspired when they walk away having learned something they can apply, in an entertaining way.

In an economic down cycle, people are aware that their number one asset it is not their job or even their mortgage; it is their skill. If you can help them add value to their skills and you will inspire a high level of loyalty for the long-term.

Holding an inspiring training or skills session just before Christmas may sound like odd timing. However, if you want people ending the year feeling good about their work and their place in the company, it's a wonderful way to inspire.

If you can't do it just before Christmas, early in the New Year is another good option – but before the holiday spirit ahs completely left the building. It should still feel like a bonus, a gift. 

Christmas is a great time for children, but it can and should be a memorable season for adults, too – not just at home, but in the workplace. As a leader, you have the power to make this Christmas a time of real impact in the lives of those who work with you.

You may not have a ‘magic wand’ to wave over your world, but you can make this season memorable for your team, by going the extra mile to add value to their lives. I promise you, from experience, they will carry more than a little of that Christmas goodwill well into the New Year.

From my wife Davina and I and everyone associated with 2020Plus, have a wonderful, warm, prosperous and safe Christmas.