December 21st: I'm Dreaming Tonight of a Place I Love ??

They had always been busy just a few days before Christmas. But this year it was much more frantic. There was a new way of thinking, many new things to do, and for some of the staff, even new jobs. Some of them really loved the changes because they could see they were necessary and ensured a prosperous future. The majority were reluctant because they weren’t quite sure where the change would lead. There was also a minority who were negative about the changes. Some of these kept it to themselves, while others were more outspoken.

Santa understood that not all of his staff were equally keen on the change because to change is to risk something, which makes people feel insecure. So in his daily report to the staff, he showed them the small victories they had won, like the constant improvement in the number of letters from children. But he did one more thing to ease the mind of the many who resisted change, because they were afraid of not mastering new tasks and were consequently making mistakes. He told them to celebrate their mistakes! To some this sounded crazy, but Santa’s point was that as long as you learn from the mistakes, each failure brings you one step closer to the goal! One of the elves responded to this way of thinking by saying, “Santa, if we learn from our mistakes, shouldn’t we try to make as many mistakes as possible?” Santa had to admit, the elf actually had a point.

The person who was most outspoken and resistant to all the changes was John Smith, the COO in charge of production. His resistance may have had good reason, since his department was really in for a big overhaul. He pulled Santa aside and before he opened his mouth, Santa knew what was coming.

“It’s too late for us to purchase the things the children want,” John started in a voice that couldn’t disguise his frustration. “And it’s also very expensive.”

 “I know it’s expensive, John, but forget that. Our Christmas Foundation has the necessary funds,” Santa said. “Instead, focus on the fact that now you have the chance to learn a lot of new, interesting, and very relevant things. Next year you will have to produce some of these new things yourself in the workshop. With your assistance, we need to build a professional purchase organization, because we have to get used to buying more than we have before.”

“That’s all very well, and I know we can afford it, but you see Santa, my problem is that I don’t know what we should make ourselves and what we should buy. We can’t just start production at a snap of a finger; it takes time because we have to teach the elves new skills. And not just the elves – we have to teach pixie girls, too, since this ‘interesting’ job rotation scheme of yours. We also have to install new machines and we need new raw materials. It all takes a lot of time and the children don’t let us know their wishes until very close to Christmas. It’s impossible for us.”

“I know, I know,” said Santa. “And I also know there’s a solution to this challenge. You brought it up yourself, more or less. We cannot allow ourselves to sit back and wait to see what the children write just before Christmas. We must interact with them throughout the year so we always have a feeling of what’s going on. Instead of being reactive, we must be proactive, John.”

John was clearly not convinced. ”That all sounds fine in theory, but what about in real life? How do you suggest we do that?”

“We start the easy way: Facebook. Our new Facebook profile already provides us a lot of instant feedback, and some of it is actually very relevant. Why not use it all year long and learn what’s going on in the children’s minds? After all, our goal is to improve Christmas spirit, and that depends a whole lot on what the children do and think and feel in the rest of the year.”

“But I’m not used to working like this, I’m not sure I can and I’m not even sure that I want to.”

“John, things are changing. They’ve been changing for many years, even though we have neglected to realize it. Now it’s time for change at the North Pole, and I really need you to be part of the change. You’re important to me and you’re important to the children.”

John was clearly happy about Santa needing him, but that didn’t mean he was ready for change. “Santa, I’m still not convinced that this is the right thing to do; I think there are too many obstacles.”

“You’re right, John, there are obstacles – far more than we’ve experienced in the past, but we need to find our path to the future. And I can tell you this for a fact – if you could find a path with no obstacles, it probably wouldn’t lead anywhere.”

Main take-aways:

?? A major reason for employee opposition to change is the fear of not being able to cope

?? Celebrating mistakes creates a more innovative organization

?? Constant, updated insight about customers reduces the need for revolution as opposed to evolution