If I must make every decision, no presents get delivered.
–Santa Claus
Need clearer guidelines so employees can make better decisions?
This article showcases the idea of a priorities filter and how it allows any team member in any situation to make the correct decision. The example comes from a most unlikely place: Santa’s North Pole workshop. Why and how I got to tour the workshop is a story for another time. This post shares an abbreviated transcript of my visit to the factory floor and how Santa’s team applies its priorities filter.
–begin transcript–
“This is,” Santa proudly announced, “the Toy Toolery.”
We’d entered a long, brightly lit, cavernous room. Its walls were chocolate brown with candy cane pillars. Hot cocoa and cookie dispensers aligned the walls. Assembly lines, staffed by elves, filled the floor space. The phrase “Remember to SMILE!” was posted around the room.
Santa, jolly, grinning, asked, “Wondering what SMILE means?” Then startling me, he hollered, “JOZEF!”
Immediately, an elf—tall, thin, waif-like—was at his side.
“Yes, Sinterklaas?” the elf asked.
“Jozef, this the writer, Lenn. This is Jozef, my executive assistant. Jozef, can you explain SMILE?”
“Yes,” Jozef said, appropriately smiling. “SMILE is our decision–making filter.”
“When deciding how to respond in any situation, we ask ourselves if the contemplated response will deliver a SMILE.”
“We think, ‘is what I am about to do:
Safe?
Magical?
Inclusive?
Loving?
Efficient?’”
“Let me explain. Our operation needs to be safe. There’s nothing magical in Santa, the elves, the reindeer, or children getting injured.
“Our operation must seem magical to the outside world. It’s like an entertainment where the support functions are hidden from view.
“We want everything we do, every gift we give, every interaction we make, to be inclusive. Santa is for everyone who wants to believe.
“Loving is important. We love the children of the world. Their harried parents, too. And the other adults. Bringing joy to people fulfills us. It’s who we are.
“Efficient is last. When you do everything else right, you’re already efficient. There are too many toys to make and deliver, too many names to place on the nice list, and too many presents to coordinate to waste time.
“When we answer those five questions with a strong YES,” Jozef concluded, “we’ve reached the right decision.”
“Can you give me an example?” I asked.
“Consider evaluating new toys. They should deliver SMILEs. We verify the toy is safe, avoiding parts that can be swallowed, cause injury, or place others in danger.
“We also examine toys for the magical fun they deliver. Children need want to play with them.
“We want toys to be inclusive and playable by any child.
“They should also be loved by those who play with them.
“Finally, we favor toys that are efficient to make and deliver. A child may sing about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas, but—”
Santa let out a huge belly–shaking laugh, “Imagine 1,000 hippos stuffed in my sack. We’d never get off the ground!”
After a laugh, I asked, “SMILE sounds like a wonderful filter for toys, but what about everyday decisions?”
I’ll answer that,” Santa began. “I’m coming down the chimney—”
“Wait,” I interrupted, “How do you do that?”
“Trade secret, Lenn,” Santa replied with a wink.
He continued. “—down the chimney and a rottweiler growls at me. Is that safe? No. We can’t blame the dog. He’s protecting his home. So, I use a little magic to make him sleep temporarily. It’s the most loving approach we can deliver, and it’s safe, magical, and inclusive.”
Santa, laughing, added, “But cats? They are a whole other problem.”
“Unfortunately, we’re still working on that,” Jozef mumbled, then continued. “Finally, the approach is efficient.”
Santa added, “I’d like to have a conversation with every excited child, but if I am to complete the roof run, there isn’t enough time.”
Jozef concluded, “This approach makes everyone SMILE.”
“SMILE,” I agreed, “sounds like a helpful tool.”
“It is,” Santa added, “for the elves working the line, and for those working other positions, and for when my leadership team makes big, strategic moves. It saves time and effort. If Santa must make every decision, no presents get delivered.”
–end of transcript–
I was impressed with the Workshop’s SMILE filter and the real-world application possibilities. When operating guidelines are in place:
- Trainers can teach initiative rather than mindless response.
- Employees can justify decisions based on the priorities and filter the reasoning behind the decision.
- Employee initiative can deliver new, better solutions that help the organization deliver higher results.
- Leaders can train and coach employees on the decisions they make so that employee skills continually improve.
- Leaders can focus on their true role: supporting employees with the tools and backing they need to be effective.
- Senior leaders can apply operating priorities as planning tools.
Like all decisions, tradeoffs must sometimes be made, but better decisions result when the filter is applied.
When adding or applying a priorities filter in your organization, consider the following:
- Does your organization currently have operating guidelines? If it does, are they the right ones? Are they prioritized to make decisions easier?
- Do your senior leaders understand those guidelines? Do they remind employees of them? Do they apply them in their decision-making processes?
- Have you integrated the guidelines into the human-resource functions of hiring, training, disciplinary guidelines, annual reviews, and promotions?
Final Thoughts
The concept of operating guidelines seems simple—and simplicity is its beauty. With it, anyone at any organizational level can make intelligent decisions without waiting for an overworked manager, busy running from situation to situation, to arrive and decide what the employee could have decided on their own. The North Pole’s filter has helped create Christmas joy for years and is one secret of Santa’s continued success. Set guidelines, not decisions, and you can help your organization unwrap the gift of success.
Register for Lenn Millbower’s free webinar
To register for Lenn Millbower’s free Training Magazine Network Webinar, The Santa System: Learning Leader Lessons from the North Pole, on this topic on November 20 at 12 p.m. Eastern, visit: https://www.trainingmagnetwork.com/events/3951
