The Leadership Wisdom Of Santa Claus
As opposed to aspiring to be followed, Santa Claus represents a leader who serves and cares about others. He is also about developing the capacities of people. Santa understands that leadership is not about wielding autocratic power over them. Any person holding any position at any level of an organization can be a servant leader, but such individuals are always distinguished by a profound sense of ethics; are driven by core guiding principles such as responsibility and accountability and are motivated by the pursuit of a higher purpose. It’s about authentically caring for others and doing what is right.
The challenge with practicing servant leadership is that it is difficult to define what is “right”.
Sant Claus Leadership is:
- A leader that must act and make judgments ethically.
- That act ethically in their actions, perceptions, and interactions.
Traditionally, the goal of leadership has been to increase production and profits. This view of leadership is fading away. Moral failings have shown to be too risky to sustaining performance. More thought leaders in the 21st century are asserting that leaders also have the responsibility for adhering to open standards of moral and ethical behavior. Servant leadership is about character, competence, good intent, and proactivity.
An Always On, Transparent, and Changing World
We live in a world marked by constant change both with respect to technological innovation and the standard of behavior. The future is unpredictable. The only certainty is change, and the speed is accelerating. While we face these conditions both locally and globally, we cannot let ourselves become overcome by the environment around us.
Servant Leaders Account For Relationship Capital (RC)
In our hyperconnected peer-to-peer world, it is important to build a track record of credibility with others. As discussed, servant leaders can come from any position or level within the company. Relationship Capital (RC) is an industry standard for the accounting of the quality of social interactions between “entities”, including people, businesses, and products. Interactions include Commitments (actions) and Perceptions (thoughts and feelings).
Servant leaders earn Relationship Capital (RC) by:
- Making and Keeping Commitments
- Appreciation
People receive a Relationship Capital Point (RCP) for each fulfilled Commitment, and an RCP, or a fraction thereof, for each positive perception that is obtained. RCPs are deposited in an RC Account under the strict control of its user.
The objectives of RC are to provide a common vocabulary for relationship interactions and to account for the interactions as they occur. Adopting open standards for the capture, measurement, and utilization of #RelationshipCapital (RC) will enable you be distinctive in a low-trust world.
Every business person who subscribes to servant leadership is expected to lead in these challenging times and must do so firmly committed to practicing the guiding principles of relationship capital behavior in all online and offline interactions.
6 Guiding Principles of Relationship Capital Leadership
Our guiding principles are the lens through which we lead and make decisions. They allow us to be consistent and credible when we deal with any situation or crisis. Challenges and assigned projects are transitory, but our guiding principles are not. The thoughts shared here are designed to help refresh our moral component of leadership in a business world marked increasing digital platforms — something worthy of review, thought, and commitment.
The intended output is a renewed focus on ethical decision-making and a relationship capital code of behavior so that each of us can become the relationship capital leaders that our employees, partners, and other key stakeholders aspire to emulate.
Striving For Servant Leadership
A servant leader is distinguished by their character, competence, good intent, and proactivity and each person who commits to it; is responsible and accountable to fulfill it. It can be described as ethical conduct in a social and digital environment of dignity and respect. That is a fundamental expectation of all servant leaders. It is also what our fellow connected citizens expect of their business leaders and professionals.
Our hyperconnected world is diverse by culture and values. We are stronger for our diversity and the different perspectives and experiences it brings, but we do not all necessarily share the same fundamental principles on our moral compass when we commit to the industry standards of relationship capital. Calibration and alignment are sometimes required, therefore, each servant leader takes responsibility for creating an environment that allows strong moral roots to grow and be sustained.
Conclusion
The former separate spheres of personal and business have fused. Everything is personal in our social and digital world. If everything is personal, then morality reawakens in our relationships. The attributes of leadership are changing today. Servant leadership is transformative in its effect on organizational culture and is more important than ever to inspire, sustain and a grow a business. The true leadership wisdom of Santa Claus is about proactively demonstrating empathy and trust towards all in our hyperconnected social and digital business world. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
