Business Lessons Learned from Christmas Movie Classics

Business lessons aren't always found in bestsellers, TED Talks, business books and at leadership conferences. They can be hiding in plain sight in Christmas movies. Here are some worth pondering as you begin your holiday vacation and/or have more leisurely time during this holiday season.

?1. Home Alone - Get creative; get resourceful

There is no standard definition of what it means for a business to be "creative." The term is often overused and/ or even misused. For the purpose of this blog, I define business creativity as being divergent, thinking outside the box, and having the ability to solve problems in a better and/or unconventional way by combining different experiences and knowledge in a creative way.

In the massively popular and one of my all time favorite Christmas movies: Home Alone, Kevin is accidentally left behind by his parents during Christmas and starts enjoying his independence until intruders (Wet Bandits) target his house. Not one to whimper, the brave Kevin becomes resourceful and designs creative solutions (booby traps) from stuff lying around his home to successfully protect his house and himself, as well as to fend off the Wet Bandits.

While the movie is all fun and laughter, with a few tender moments, what's fascinating is how Kevin thinks on his feet and uses resources available to him in his house to fight off the intruders. Of course in business you're not creating booby traps. However and comparably, when solving business problems: being resourceful, trying something new--combining ideas and even seemingly unrelated ideas (i.e. photography + social media = Instagram) can do the trick to finding fresh, different, but smart and creative solutions that can often yield stellar business results.

2. It's a Wonderful Life - You can rely on your network

In It's a Wonderful Life the protagonist, James Stewart is a good guy who does one good deed after another for the people in his life and those around them, even through his own hardships. When financial trouble mounts, he attempts suicide. However, an angel rescues him and shows him how his town would have turned out if he hadn't existed. He is told that he is the 'richest man in town' because he has friends who appreciate him. Amid the feel-good ending there is a life and business lesson to be learned: that in difficulty, you can rely on the network.?

Starting and setting up a successful business is difficult. Yet, there's a silver lining - the network you have diligently built to get your business off the ground can be your lifeline during tough times. As a youngster--I often did not like asking for help whether it be homework and/or conquering a challenging game-- for me, asking for help was daunting. However, over the years I learned it's ok to ask for help and It's a Wonderful Life brings a multitude of optimism about how your network has your back and asking for help.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas - Achieve brand consistency?

A brand story is very important in today's market and can make or break your marketing efforts. People want to know who you are and what values you hold. In fact, by humanizing and personalizing your brand in today's market--it can foster brand trust, build brand awareness and loyalty because people support businesses and brands that they like and trust. Furthermore, people experience your brand in different ways - through direct contact with your products and customer service, and indirectly through your social media accounts, website, hashtags, and brand mentions on the internet. Any discrepancy between what you say and what you do is bound to affect perceptions and attitudes towards your brand and maintaining a consistent brand voice makes you appear reliable and authentic to your target audience.

In the movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas contains this lesson for businesses. In this Christmas movie, the hero Jack Skellington lives in a town where Halloween is an everyday event. But he gets bored of the same old, and goes to the town which is the polar opposite to his own. Every day here feels like Christmas, with reindeer, lights, gifts and cheer. He returns to his town and tells others that they must start celebrating Christmas. What follows is a hodgepodge of characters from both towns and creates a nightmare for everyone.?

Similarly in business, trying to be two or many things at once has the opposite and/or negative effect. You may "lose" your audience and/or niche market, which is never a good thing. Furthermore, you'll confuse those who aren't too familiar with your brand by trying to please everyone and being “all things to all people.”?Nevertheless, in business there are many opportunities to express your authentic self to people. When your words and actions are consistent--it can strengthen brand trust and can even bolster brand loyalty.

4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - budget wisely?and don't spend what you don't have?

In the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation teaches a very important business lesson: practice good budget management. The protagonist, Clark has big plans to install a pool in his home, on which he's already made a down payment. Furthermore, he ends up overspending because he wants to decorate his home with 25,000 twinkle lights, and must also provide for his wife's cousin and her (cousin's) husband--who plan to stay in his house for a month. While ultimately, everything worked out for Clark--in the world of business, the repercussions of spending unwisely and beyond the budget can hit a business' bottomline and stifle business growth.