Santa had a problem!

Elvis the Elf, (bright, young, new to the team), was making waves once again. He has seen a Tic Toc clip showing the Ely Tusk’s bright, shiny All-Electric Hover Sleigh in action. It claims to be eco-friendly and equipped with all the latest GPS technology as well as heated seats.

What is not to like, he exclaims?

Santa sighed, he could do without the hassle.

Bernard the head Elf was not happy, neither was Rudolph, his nose was teetering on verge of blinking and Santa knew from experience that this is never a good sign. All Bernard and Rudolph can see is a disruption to their long developed, well proven plans for tackling this year’s Christmas Eve challenge.

Bernard was arguing that the plans he and the Elf team had on their Gantt Chart on the wall would have to be ‘thrown out of the window’ if they had to accommodate the purchase and snow testing of this new contraption. There simply was not time. Far better to stick to the proven methods. In any case the reindeers have been in training for months now, Dasher, Dancer and Prancer are match fit and raring to go and who wants to be the one to tell Vixen her carefully laid plans for Christmas Eve are under threat. Remember how she reacted when she was told she had to wear a mask for the whole trip. No one wants to see that again!

Santa sighed once more.

Elvis is a ‘Game Changer’ and he can always be relied on to bring new ideas, no matter how wacky and far-out, to the otherwise dull and dutiful Council meetings. Santa wants to encourage him, but Bernard and Rudolph both have a point. Bernard and the Elves do have a detailed Implementation plan ‘and they simply want to get Christmas done’ as he is fond of repeating.

Rudolph has been training and polishing the team for weeks now and they are as keen and eager as ever to get going.  What Santa needs is a ‘Playmaker’ to smooth the fractious debate.

Luckily, just as Santa was wondering what he should do to restore harmony and goodwill, Mrs. Claus came into the room. Hot tea and mince pies all round. She gently admonished the whole council saying the upset and noise is upsetting all the Elves in the workshop. Alabaster is close to tears, Snowball has taken a carrot and said he is going out for a long walk and may not be back, and Shiny Upatree has disappeared into the woods to do who knows what.

The mince pies and hot tea definitely helped the mood of the meeting. The conversation calmed down and it was agreed that the All-Electric Hover Sleigh was a great idea, but maybe a little ahead of its time for the team this year. Santa promised Elvis that he can look into it as an option for next year and asked him to keep everyone informed.

Bernard was relieved his plans still stood and he and Rudolph left happy and got on with final preparations. ‘Implementers’ and ‘Polishers’ working in harmony together, a great sight to see, it warmed the cockles of Santa’s heart

All’s well that ends well.

Santa was relieved that the skills he and Mrs. Claus learned on the Change Leader Programme were helping ensure that despite all the challenges of 2021, the presents would soon be on their way.

If you would like more details of the Change Leader programme then please contact us for a no obligation call or take a look at our doodle one of our Elves did for us as a pre-Christmas gift.