Christmas has a curious effect on leadership.
It doesn’t rewrite strategy. It reveals priorities.
In boardrooms, promoters talk about scale, speed and sustainability.
On Christmas, a different manual opens –
one written by a red man with a white beard and surprisingly strong leadership principles.
If promoters paid closer attention, Santa would make an excellent case study.
Lesson One: Lead by Observation, Not Declaration
Santa doesn’t manage by announcements.
He manages by awareness.
He watches all year – not to judge, but to understand.
Mature promoters do the same.
They study patterns before drafting policies.
They read signals before issuing statements.
As Peter Drucker said,
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”
Promoters who hear the unsaid make fewer wrong decisions.
Lesson Two: Motivation Is Not Uniform
Santa doesn’t give everyone the same gift.
Some people need clarity.
Some need confidence.
Some need permission to fail without fear.
Uniform rewards are convenient leadership.
Thoughtful differentiation is intentional stewardship.
Lesson Three: Give Without Keeping Score
Santa gives without reminders.
No year-end deck titled “My Contribution to Your Happiness.”
Promoters who keep recounting favours confuse leadership with accounting.
Real leadership gives – then moves on.
Lesson Four: People Are Not Binary
The naughty-nice model is a myth in business.
People are rarely good or bad.
They are tired, learning, misaligned, afraid or simply early in their journey.
Promoters with emotional maturity adjust expectations before delivering verdicts.
Lesson Five: Prepare in Silence
Twelve months of invisible effort for one visible night.
Experienced promoters know this rhythm:
quiet investments, uncomfortable decisions, delayed gratification – until growth appears “sudden” to outsiders.
Lesson Six: Know When to Leave
Santa delivers the gift… and exits.
He doesn’t hover.
He doesn’t supervise joy.
He trusts households to build their own magic.
Promoters who never leave the room suffocate the very growth they desire.
As Warren Buffett said,
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Great promoters plant and step aside.
So this Christmas, before designing the next framework, perhaps promoters should study Santa.
Observe more.
Give without invoices.
Prepare without applause.
Trust without control.
Because companies don’t scale on incentives alone.
They scale when promoters quietly learn the art of being Santa…
even while reading a balance sheet.