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If you believe that Christmas is not only a date but also a state of mind, then you will thoroughly enjoy the book Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus. If you want to ignite people's curiosity, foster the magic of believing, and create an environment of enthusiasm and energetic conversation, then consider including Santa's Training Toolkit.

DESCRIPTION
The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus shares eight secrets of getting big things done all year long. This 87-page book is divided into 8 chapters, with chapter headings such as Build a Wonderful Workshop, Choose Your Reindeer Wisely, Listen to the Elves, and Make a List and Check it Twice, ending with a summary checklist of the key points in each chapter and a commitment letter to Santa.

This program is designed to help readers think about leadership as they would when leading a team and facilitate conversations about the leadership responsibilities everyone has.

Santa's Training Toolkit includes:

• Santa's Leadership Secrets (12-minute training DVD)
• Leader's Guide
• Over 150 PowerPoint Training Visuals
• Santa's Personal Development Workbook
• Santa Hat
• De-Stress Ball
• Lapel Pin and Bookmark

Research suggests that a video learning tool expands the opportunity to learn and communicate by 50%. People remember more if they are engaged with a common point of reference. The video in the Santa's Training Toolkit has a charming way of sharing some of Santa's key leadership techniques.

You see that it's not easy being Santa Claus. He not only has to deliver presents, he also has to manage his time in helping out with the chores at the North Pole. Then there is Bob (called "Misfit" in the book). Santa took shortcuts in hiring him.

The lesson is when you take such shortcuts, there can be repercussions in both the time it takes to deal with a wrong hire and the lowered morale of a team. Not only did it take the jolly out of Santa, the reindeers weren't a happy bunch either, especially when they had to work harder to compensate for Bob not pulling his weight. (I can relate; I'm a rower.)

Sharing the milk and cookies is about rewarding and recognizing the work the elves are doing; and of course building a wonderful workshop is not about walls and ceilings, it's about acting on the mission of the enterprise. It is about how individual elves and reindeers work as one towards a common purpose.

The Leaders Guide is 10 pages with an overview of the book and ways in which to use the program, including the resources in the Training Tool Kit. Examples of discussion questions are, "If you had to condense this book down to one overall message, what would that message be?" "How important is that message to our organization?"

Santa's Personal Development Workbook is 27 pages of interactive exercises, self-assessments, and action planning templates. It's a great way to get people to design their own blueprint for success.

PowerPoint Training Visuals are designed to support both the book and the video. When you purchase the complete toolkit, you have permission to reproduce and combine three sets of approximately 188 colored graphic slides of the North Pole, Santa, the elves, and the reindeers into a customized presentation.

EVALUATION
What's great about this program is that you can have fun with it. Putting on your Santa's hat, warming up some apple cider, and including a Santa's de-stress ball into the mix encourages people to share their experiences, bring out their memories, and laugh about some of silly things that happen in the name of leadership.

For me Christmas is all about the magic of believing and the gift of giving. Everyone wants to believe in creating an environment where individual contribution is part of the fun of succeeding. The greatest gift we can give ourselves is the belief in our own leadership capabilities because if we can't lead ourselves, we can't lead others.

Recommendation
The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus and Santa's Training Toolkit is a fun way of encouraging people to see themselves as leaders by increasing their confidence, trust, and commitment to themselves and each other.

SANTA'S LEADERSHIP SECRETS Rating