Business books are a dime a dozen. Seems like every week one is released to great hoopla and then lost among the hordes of others sitting on our shelves. In short – business books sell but have a limited life span.I have become quite attached to the short and sweet versions in this category. Who has time to really delve into Collins’ Good to Great when I can cover the basics reading Blanchard’s One Minute Manager in an eighth of the time?!?
Along with being short the gimmicky format stands out. A busy boss needs information quick and the gimmick usually adds to her retention of the material. Three examples that come to mind in this gimmicky sub-genre of business are Peanut Butter and Jelly Management by Komisarjevsky, Fish: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morales and Improve Results by Lundin, Paul and Christensen, and The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam.
The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus by the employees of Walk-the-Talk has it all. Choked full of useful information and in a cutesy but effective format, this book can be read in one sitting.
Busy bosses can lament with Santa Claus as he relates the perils of one day delivery. “There are workers to lead, letters to read, orders to fill, processes to manage, stuff to buy, stuff to make, standards to maintain, new technologies to adopt, skills to develop, elf problems to solve, and reindeer droppings to scoop (although I delegate that one).”
There are eight secrets amongst the eight chapters such as chapter 6, “Share the Milk and Cookies.” Be sure your employees realize the difference they are making in the company. Santa, the elves, and the reindeer all have a part in the “big ‘making people happy’ picture.” One way is to reward those who do a good job with verbal praises and letters of gratitude. Santa says make, “‘attitude of gratitude’ one of your most important workshop values.”
Other secrets include: “Build a Wonderful Workshop, Choose Your Reindeer Wisely, Listen to the Elves, Get beyond the Red Wagons, Find out Who’s Naughty and Nice, and Be Good for Goodness Sake.”
As a boss your mission may not be “making spirits bright,” but then again, maybe it should be.
3 comments:
I really don't read business books but this gimmick is really effective - I am actually tempted to pick this book up!
Carin, I am not a big business book fan either, but I used it to help do a presentation for a Leadership Club and it went over pretty much everything and in a memorable way. :D Since reading it I have moved on to another business book! What?!? ;D
This book is a fantastic read! In fact, it is used as one of the main texts in my Creative Leadership course that I teach at a local community college. Even my students who were skeptical got a lot from it and especially enjoyed the quick and entertaining read. Highly recommended!!!
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