What National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Can Teach Us About Work, Life, and Leadership

'Tis the season for holiday content on LinkedIn! Rather than share a generic "Happy Holidays!" post, how about some constructive leadership and career advice from a classic Christmas movie? *WARNING: Spoiler Alert*

Here are 3 lessons that I pulled from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation that can help you long after the egg nog is gone and the tree has burned down:

1) Set S.M.A.R.T. goals

This is just as important when mapping out your objectives for the year as it is when decorating your house. Clark Griswold probably should have started stapling lights to his roof well before Christmas and the arrival of his parents and in-laws. Lighting up every square inch of your house may be Specific and Measurable, but if you do it Clark's way, it's hardly Achievable, Realistic, or Timely.

2) Transparency on comp plans - and other important topics - is essential

Annual bonuses fluctuate. That's reality. But when bossman Frank Shirley decides to cut bonuses and instead enroll his team in the "Jelly of the Month" club as a reward, there's no doubt this could have been better communicated.

As leaders, it's on us to address topics like compensation, organizational changes, and strategy pivots head on...otherwise you might get kidnapped on Christmas Eve.

3) "Pick a lifestyle and live at that level"

This was an important lessons I received early in my career from one of my distributor counterparts in Texas. As a salesperson, commission varies year-by-year, so find a sustainable lifestyle so you can work through the peaks and valleys. While splurge purchases are fun when transacted responsibly, Clark probably shouldn't have put that downpayment on his swimming pool before his Christmas bonus check was in hand.

Hope you enjoyed these! Have a happy holiday and as always, please include as many quotes from the movie in your comments as possible.