Last year I wrote 5 Reasons Santa Is A Better Manager Than You. Good news: you have become much better this year! Yes, you even have a good potential to become a better Manager than Santa Claus in 2025!
Read on for the anti-thesis of last year’s posting and learn how to become a better Manager than Santa Claus:
- Adapt to new technologies fast: When Santa is going from A to B, he uses a reindeer sledge, and this has not changed for centuries (OK, he can fly and you and I cannot but still it is old-fashioned). Santa missed out on modern means of transportation. What about you? How do you use LinkedIn and what can you do better? And what about AI? Adapt fast unless you want to be judged as outdated as good ol’ Santa by your followers
- Embrace diversity and inclusion: Santa Claus has a fixed team—his reindeer and elves—and while they seem to work well together, there’s little evidence of him expanding his workforce to include more diverse backgrounds and perspectives. In today’s world, innovation thrives on diversity, whether in terms of culture, ideas, or skills. As a modern manager, building inclusive teams and fostering a culture where everyone feels valued can lead to greater creativity, stronger collaboration, and better results. Don’t be like Santa, stuck in the same old structure—embrace diversity to future-proof your leadership!
- Cultivate two-way communication: Santa operates on a one-way communication model: he makes a list, checks it twice, and delivers gifts without engaging directly with his “followers” (except for the occasional wish list). While this top-down approach might have worked for centuries, modern managers thrive on open dialogue and feedback. Engaging with your team, listening to their ideas, and involving them in decision-making processes not only builds trust but also leads to better outcomes. Don’t just deliver; collaborate and communicate to stay ahead of Santa in the leadership game!
- Surprise your teams: It is good to be consistent and to let know people what you stand for. Followers need this. However – forgive me (I am aware that I am taking the risk finding myself without ANY present on Christmas Eve but someone must tell the truth!) – Santa Claus is a little boring: after all, we all know that he will be back every year on Xmas eve and bring us presents. And he has done so for centuries! Surprise your teams once in a while to make the motivation live and keep the suspense!
- Maintain a competitive and dynamic profile: Dynamic changes are a vital part of a competitive profile. What about Santa? He has not changed job content, strategy and his looks since 1773 where he first appears in literature. Again, I deeply respect Santa (and truly hope he really exits, especially as Christmas is approaching rapidly) but would you hire someone who has been in the same job for 250 years? Doubts that this person might not adapt to a new company culture are well founded. Make sure you change every 5-7 years to avoid the “Santa Claus Career Syndrome”
Conclusion:
If you are located in NYC, Paris, Pfaffenhofen, Dubai, Bangkok or anywhere else, if you celebrate Christmas or you don’t, Santa is probably there. And if you believe in Santa or not, there are some key learnings in what he does and how he does it: be good, be modern, be competitive, surprise your followers and you are very likely to make a career as a Chief Operations Officer, a goblin or a J2EE programmer.
Season’s greetings to you and yours and see you back in 2025! And if you can’t wait until then, please follow us on LinkedIn and get even more career tips.
