Human Resource Lessons from My 5 Favorite Christmas Movies

We've all got our holiday traditions; church events, decorating, baking, gifting, eating, and stressing.  Now that I have an almost 4 year old, and 1 year old, and one that will be here immediately after Christmas, my holidays are a touch more busy.  One of my old favorite traditions was to see some of my favorite movies.    Below are my favorite Christmas movies and their surprisingly effective methods for dealing with employees during this time of year.

A Christmas Story – I love TBS for showing this movie 24 hours straight this time of year.  My wife has learned to hate it.  Ralphie and his desire for a Red Ryder BB Gun gets all of the attention, but do you remember how happy the Old Man was with his fishnet leg lamp stand?  “Fragile!”  You would really have to see the movie to appreciate that quote.Anyway, remember to give quality and personalized gifts to your employees, when possible.   Elf – Buddy the Elf was a terrible toy maker, but given his size, there would have been so many other opportunities for him in the North Pole: reindeer wrangler, Christmas tree star-puter-upper, toy stacker, etc.  Properly train and evaluate your employees, based on their unique skill set. Scrooged – Ok, so this is really “A Christmas Carol”, however I love Bill Murray, so this is the choice.  Frank Cross a.k.a. Ebenezer Scrooge is a tyrannical programming executive that fires employees on Christmas Eve.  Of course, three ghosts and two-hours later, Cross has learned the error of his ways and later treated his employees with dignity and respect.  Create a culture of innovation and not the fear of failure. Christmas Vacation – If that gift is Christmas bonuses and employees are happy with them, stick with the program, unless you want to be kidnapped.  And never let Cousin Eddy put an RV in your driveway.  Give your employees authentic thank you’s, and make them feel appreciated. It’s a Wonderful Life – This isn’t about mean ole Mr. Potter and George.  This is about Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class.  He threw himself into a freezing river to save George.  And do you know why?  It was not an increase in pay, corner office, or additional vacation time; it was for a set of wings.  Who knew that would be a motivator?  Have incentives that will motivate your employees.  If you are not sure what that is, just ask them. Honorable mention: Bad Santa, and why you don’t hire a Santa Claus without good references. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!