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A Rialto Executive Christmas Carol 

A Rialto Executive Christmas Carol 

Filter tag: Culture & Organisational Effectiveness, Leadership Capability, Strategies for Growth

There have been hundreds, thousands, some say millions of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol since its publication 180 years ago including blockbuster movies, theatre productions, graphic novels and even two operas.

Clearly, its lessons are as apposite now as they were in 1843.

Few of us would ever wish to be associated with old Ebenezer Scrooge, at least from the opening chapters. But, as we wind down for the festive break, could we perhaps take a moment to think about the literary miser’s journey and reflect upon what has brought us to this moment in time, be mindful of the present and ask how we can make our own futures brighter, more connected and, well, happier?

What actions can executives and senior leaders take right now to go into 2024 refreshed, focused and ready for a whole year of challenges new?

 

Chapter One: No humbug! – send your staff into the holidays with a boost. 

Dickens’ novella opens with the parsimonious money lender refusing an invitation to spend Christmas with his nephew, turning away charity collectors and only begrudgingly allowing his beleaguered and underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit a single day of paid holiday.

Sounds like the gig economy?!?

The ghost of Jacob Marley with his clanging chains of doom warns Scrooge to pay attention to the three ghosts unless he wants to spend his own eternity in a netherworld of miserable penance. Reflection and projection now will save much pain later.

2023 has been yet another tough business year with economic pressures, high inflation and interest rates and organisations forced to restructure to save costs. Maintaining morale from the factory floor up to the executive offices is never easy when money is tight and the future uncertain. There are steps senior leaders and HR professionals can take that cost little and can send staff into the holidays feeling valued and appreciated.

In recent research by Workhuman, a third of workers surveyed said feeling seen makes them more engaged and 40% said their performance improves. Not many employees would stick around like poor, undervalued Cratchit. Imagine the attrition toll if your CEO was Ebenezer Scrooge.

It costs nothing to say thank you to your people. Whether in person or via a live virtual link, a genuine, warm Christmas message, looking back on the year, celebrating the wins, acknowledging the difficulties you have faced together, looking to the future and capitalising on the communal festive cheer to build a seasonal sense of belonging and identity will go a long way. If you haven’t been able to afford generous Christmas bonuses this year, can you announce a surprise early closure for those you can lose for an afternoon – and promise an extra half day in lieu to the rest? If you can send your workforce home for the holidays with an extra boost you’ll reap dividends in loyalty and productivity when they return at what can otherwise be a depressed and lethargic time of the business year.

Get leaders and managers to personally thank everyone in their teams and identify and name the action or success that stood out for each individual in 2023. You want your workforce charging out of that door (or clicking laptops shut) with a smile and a surge of positive energy, not a sigh of despair and sense of dread at the thought of returning.

 

Chapter Two: The Ghost of Christmas Past – how did you get here? What did you learn? 

Before he could see and appreciate the lessons of the Ghost of Christmases yet to come, Charles Dickens’ Scrooge has to accept some very difficult truths of the past and present. The childlike Ghost of Christmas Past shows him for the first time how he was the architect of his own miserable isolation, driving his friends and his beloved away with his all-consuming pecuniary lust.

Understanding how we came to be where we are today, as individuals and as organisations, is an essential part of the cycle of development and growth. Have you been too single-minded? Too unapproachable or shied away from critical conversations? Have you missed golden opportunities?

Take time as you wind down for the break to analyse productivity levels over the year. Can peaks and troughs be explained? Instruct leadership teams to identify individuals or departments losing productivity. Are they suffering end of year ennui, a longer term burnout? How can they be reinvigorated, lifted, motivated, engaged? Where are the bottlenecks? Which teams are flagging? Where has the energy gone? Or has the market changed and your organisation failed to respond? What have your competitors done that you haven’t?

On a personal note, take time to think about your past, historic and recent. How did you get here? Why are you here? Did it happen by accident? Did you mean to go somewhere else? What motivated you to start on this path? Are you still as motivated? If not, why not? How can you get that back? Who did you meet along the way? Have you lost contact with anyone who could be valuable to you now? Look up your old contacts and friends, take the opportunity of the festive spirit to network and reconnect.

When were you happiest and why? When were you least happy and why?  Look at the dark times and the good times. Also, stand back and congratulate yourself on your achievements. Go through your diary for 2023, think about every win, no matter how big or small. How did you achieve them? How can you repeat that? Think also about what went wrong. How did it happen? What did you learn?

 

Chapter three: The Ghost of Christmas present. Now you’re here, is it where you want to be?  

Traumatised by the spectral visions of the previous night, Scrooge is whisked off by a jolly giant apparition who allows him to bask momentarily in the glow of joyful festive celebrations that will take place that Christmas – including poor Bob Cratchit’s, where Scrooge’s cold heart is warmed by the stoic charms of his crippled son, Tim, and his nephew’s, whose kind invitation he sullenly declined. He now regrets this and begs to stay.

This is a very good time to think about where you are now. Is it where you wanted to be? Do you look forward to every day? Or, now that you think about it, have you taken a wrong turn along the way? Bad advice? Or just allowed yourself to drift aimlessly?

Do you have burn-out? Have you lost your mojo? Do you have any serious regrets? Has your work/life balance gone all out of kilter?

If you are feeling dissatisfied, this break from the daily grind could present the perfect opportunity to assess your present situation. Can you leave an out-of-office message on your email and put your work mobile in a drawer for the holidays? Only then can you truly clear your mind to think about your executive career progression  with clarity.

Plan quiet times to allow those thoughts to crystalise. Try “naked” walking or running in the countryside or on the coast – don’t worry, you can keep your clothes on, just leave the phone in the car, no music, no company. Just your thoughts.

You may realise you are happy in your organisation but feel you have stagnated. Or perhaps, the time has come to seek pastures new. Do you need support to dig your way out of this rut? A fresh pair of eyes and professional coaching could be just what you need. Our executive career coaches see a surge in inquiries at this time of year from people looking for a career boost, so if that’s where you find yourself, rest assured, you are not alone.

On a more personal level, what can you do to recharge your batteries over the festive period? Think about who and what makes you feel happy. Can you even remember what makes you relax? The power of true rest and recuperation cannot be under estimated.

Work stress and lack of sleep can elevate damaging cortisol and epinephrine hormones which suppress your immune system and contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure and poor mental health. Allowing your mind and body to rest and engaging in healthy and happy pursuits, such as walking in nature and enjoying quality time with loved ones, reduces stress hormones and charges feel-good hormones like oxytocin and endorphins.

Using holidays to catch up on sleep and switch off from stress helps improve mood, memory and motivation, decluttering the mind and energising the spirit enabling you to return to work more focused and possibly even inspired.

A study by Ernst & Young showed that for every extra 10 hours of holiday time taken, annual performance improved 8%.

Aim to return to work free of the baggage you have built up over 2023 and go into 2024 lighter, clear-headed knowing what you want and how you are going to get it.

If you are out of work, it’s the perfect time to take a break from the often demoralising cycle of applications and rejections, spend time with loved ones, do all of the above and boost your energy, health and motivation. Spend time talking with family and friends and work out what it is you really want to do so you can return to the job search feeling focused and confident.

 

Chapter 4: The ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. You have the power to shape your future? 

Another night, another ghost. This one silent, ominous, foreboding. Scrooge is guided through scenes leading to a funeral, clearly one of someone who was loathed and will never be missed, in contrast to the funeral of Tiny Tim whose future death moves Scrooge deeply. Pitying the poor unloved soul and keen to learn from his previous visitors, the old man asks, who dies with nobody weeping? He is shown his own gravestone. He begs for a chance to repent and make up for a lifetime of avarice and greed. And wakes back in his own bed. Is it ever too late for redemption?

When you have a quiet moment over the break, look into 2024. What do you see if you carry on the path you are walking? Is it a happy scene?

Where would you like to be in three months, six months, the end of the year? Visualise it. How will you get there?  Imagine looking back on 2024, what do you hope to have achieved?

It is a time for questions. What would you change if you could? Would you spend more time with your family? Is there room for development and growth or change in your current position and organisation? How can you progress within it while maintaining your work/life balance? Or is it time to start considering a total change of scene?

Think about first steps in the New Year and how to start it in the right spirit. Look at blogs, Ted talks and news articles on predicted executive trends. Will you be ahead of them? Do you need to freshen up your skill set and knowledge? We can be certain technology, and especially AI will continue to play a big part.

If you’re making New Year’s resolutions, how about mixing up work and personal. Have you always wanted to learn how to play banjo or jive? Throw pots? Grow vegetables? What are you waiting for?

We all know we should do more physical activities but all hobbies, even sedentary ones, can be hugely beneficial. Learning a musical instrument can boost your memory and has been linked to lower levels of dementia while doing anything that you enjoy stimulates those feel-good hormones, boosts creativity and motivation while repetitive engagement and learning anything new stimulates the mind.

 

Chapter five: Embrace the spirit of Christmas and take it into 2024. 

Grateful to be alive and given a second chance, having seen the bleak future unchanged, Scrooge rushes out into the street brimming with Christmas cheer. He finds the Victorian chuggers he had turned away and hands over an extremely generous donation, sends a huge turkey to the Cratchits and surprises his nephew’s family by showing up and throwing himself into the day. He is a changed man, spreading kindness and joy for the rest of his years and becoming an avuncular figure to Tiny Tim, who thrives thanks to his new benefactor.

Whether you are feeling run down and on empty after a difficult year or you’re throwing yourself into the social whirl of the season, could you do more to embody the spirit of Christmas? think of Scrooge’s transformation. You will never feel poorer for making a generous donation to a cause you really care about. Can you spare time for a soup kitchen? How can you help practically? Do you have any neighbours or friends who will be alone this Christmas? Philanthropy is good for society and good for the soul. Research shows that giving can boost your physical and mental health in numerous ways.

Is there something you could do on a more permanent basis throughout the year? Voluntary work? Create a strategy to involve your business in a worthwhile cause, if you don’t already have one. Working as a team to do good boosts morale and belonging in the office, two assets you can’t just buy off the shelf.

 

Like Scrooge, if we can know how to keep Christmas well… “May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!” 

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