5 Career Skills We Can Learn from Santa’s Elves

There is one big guy who gets a lot of the credit for bringing the magic over Christmas - Santa! The dude in the red suit travelling around the world delivering presents to children from all walks of life, with his flying reindeer and sleigh.

However, it is worth noting that none of that would be possible without the hard work and skills of his team of elves. They are the stars behind the scenes making the toys, organising the sleigh, wrapping the gifts, and ensuring that everything is ready for the big night!

Here in the LUMS Careers Team, we don’t underestimate these elves, and our Postgraduate Company Project Manager, Rachel Beauchamp, is here and ready to showcase the 5 top elf skills that we can all learn from.

1.?????? Teamwork

Whether a toy maker, reindeer keeper, sleigh maintenance or cookie tester, all the elves must work together effectively to ensure the smooth running of Christmas. By knowing our own strengths (and weaknesses), we can collaborate, communicate and create something truly magical.

?

2.?????? Project Management

No toy is too big, no elf is too small. Christmas elves aren’t the biggest of folks, but they manage to build a whole range of toys from the largest of treehouses to the smallest of clockwork mice, and they do this by managing the project step-by-step. Each elf has their own role to play and they operate it with ease. Elves work together with excellent time management, dedication and meticulous planning to ensure all toys are created. Each elf knows their important role in delivering the end result.

3.?????? Efficiency

Working hard to deliver a task as gargantuan as Christmas can’t be easy. The elves need to operate efficiently and with maximum productivity to ensure that no time or resource is wasted. The true champions of sustainability!

?

4.?????? Resilience

Working in a cold office is never fun, so imagine the challenge of working in the North Pole in colourful tights and a fluffy jacket pulling together a project that will impact millions of people around the globe with a hard and fast deadline. I don’t envy them one bit. I imagine working at the North Pole isn’t all candy canes and sunshine, but the resilience of these hard workers and the ability to withstand this difficult weather shines through.

?

5.?????? Purpose

Elves do the best job possible because they believe they have the best job in the world. They love what they do, smile while they are doing it, and enjoy the fact that they are delivering so much joy to the world. If you are ever struggling with your projects, take a step back and think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Look for the joy and the sparkle that was there - it makes everything seem so much brighter.

?

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas break and, in 2024, I think we can all try to be more elf!