Infuse the Holiday Spirit

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col. (ret)

Follow @procrnatom on Twitter for leadership tips

The Christmas season is a time for family and friends to gather and share the excitement of the season. With store fronts decorated, neighborhoods lit up at night and jingle bells in the shopping malls, children start squirming with excitement while adults develop a sense of kindness and generosity. For the savvy leader, the holiday season is a golden opportunity to build the team. And there’s no better place to start than by building a workplace of choice.

Think of your team as your extended family and give them a gift they will enjoy throughout the upcoming year – the workplace of choice. Make a commitment to create a preferred workplace and start today by leveraging the spirit of the holiday season. In your ideal workplace, team members will:

Feel as if they belong
Sense that they make a difference to the organization and the team
Have a spirited team spirit
Know that their work is recognized and appreciated

Exude the mood of the season then commit to carrying the new attitude into the upcoming year. Team collaboration and production will soar as your workplace gains a reputation for being the best in the organization. Here are a few ideas to make the season memorable for your team.

Make it fun and festive

A team that has worked diligently for a full year since the last holiday season has earned the right to feel good about themselves and their accomplishments. Break the monotony of business-as-usual and usher in the joyous season by changing the face and the tone of your work area. Try these ideas to lighten the mood and unite your team.

In the break room

Encourage team members to post holiday pictures of family and pets.
Post a joke of the day and encourage team members to post funny holiday stories.
Post a riddle of the day and encourage team members to work together to solve it.
Bring treats several times in the week leading up to the holidays.
Bring a nerf basketball and small hoop. Have a contest for the most buckets in 1 minute.
Set up a new challenge every day such as counting red jelly beans in a jar and provide a prize for the winner.

At your team meeting

Have a non-business meeting and encourage your team to identify ways to have fun…then follow-up.
Have a laughing contest…it’s contagious.
Create a New Year fun committee and plan quarterly events.
Ask each person to name another team member and state something that they appreciate about the person.
Discuss team accomplishments from the past year.
Finish the fun meeting with a holiday “shift exchange.”

One on one

Show an interest in each team member’s holiday plans.
Focus on positives and point out things that the person does particularly well.
Give each member of the team a hand-written holiday note and that expresses thanks for something specific that they did for the team in the past year. Deliver it in person or mail it but DO NOT leave it in their box at work.

Creating the ideal workplace takes time and commitment. Holidays are a special time of the year for each person on your team regardless of religious beliefs or family heritage. Use the season as a platform for building a team, one that everybody wants to join in an environment where people want to work. Haul out the holly and have some team-building fun.

Tom is a skilled anesthetist, author, speaker and leadership coach.

Leader Reader 1, Authentic Lessons in Leadership. “The book that goes beyond theory and provides hands-on leadership skills.”