Yes, Rudolph Provides Us a Leadership Lesson

Santa & Rudolph 1964

It has been said that this is “the most wonderful time of the year” and many of us focus on events with friends and family as we celebrate the holidays.  As leaders this is a great time to refocus and refresh as the New Year is just days away.  I found myself captivated by the idea that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer turned 50 this December.  I still remember vividly the Santa commercial as he glided through the snow sitting on a Norelco shaving head.  Those were great memories, and now as an adult, I see the leadership lesson in this childhood-animated story.

Rudolph had the gift of a nose that lit up and his reindeer friends ostracized him for being different.  However, this uniqueness was a gift years later when Santa needed that special skill to light the way on a foggy Christmas Eve.  Had Rudolph not been there at the right time and place, the delivery of toys would have been delayed and millions of children would have suffered as a result.  Rudolph, as we all know, saved the night, and in essence, became Santa’s number one helper in the process.

That is a classic story and one that still delights millions of families annually.  

So what is that one gift that you have as a leader that lights the way for your workforce?  What are those gifts that you see and appreciate in your leadership team?  Who do you as a leader turn to in your hour of need for help from someone on your team?

Be assured, if you do not know your team well, you cannot call upon them to utilize their unique giftedness to help not only in times of need, but in times of growth, development, and change too.  You as a leader need to not only be strategic but also tactical in your business operations.  Knowing your team’s strengths and weaknesses serves a leader well when he or she invests the time to analyze and understand the team dynamics.  Those strengths are assets and those weaknesses can be targeted areas of growth when individuals are encouraged to pursue development to shore up those personal areas to benefit the team as a whole.

You may not encounter a foggy night where you need a flying reindeer with a blinking red nose to light the way, but be assured that you will find yourself from time-to-time in a situation where your leadership will be tested and you’ll need someone else’s help.  Find that Rudolph on your team and ask them to step up to exercise their gifts to benefit the organization. That investment of your time early on puts you in a place where you know your workforce and success will be possible because you will know whom to call and when. 

Make 2015 a time to capitalize in getting to know your workforce and your leaders even better.  Allow them a chance to show off what they know and what they can do so that when the time comes they can exercise their unique gifts to make it through an organizational challenge, growth opportunity, or crisis.