10 December 2013
You're Elfing Yourself
Let me set the scene for you. You're at your desk, you're in the
car, you're in the grocery store, you're walking the dog, you're
out to dinner with friends, you're washing the dishes. And all the
while, you're Elfing yourself.
Now Santa, he's a smart man. And you want to know why? The man
gets a lot of credit for his work. He's praised, worshipped (No
really, some people think that Christmas is about the death of
Santa) and appreciated as a larger man with a larger than life
sense of generosity and Christmas spirit.
But you want to know what Santa really is? Santa is the old
world equivalent of Amazon, Ebay or Target online shopping. No
seriously, hear me out!
So a child makes a list of things they would like for Christmas,
they send it to Santa…. And then he sends an elf to go off, make
it, wrap it, organise the logistics and put it into the sleigh in
the order that he needs to drop it off. So who really has all of
the hard work here? It's the elves!
A thankless 365 day a year job (I'm assuming on leap years they
have a day off) and at the end of the day, their achievements serve
to make Santa look good. They are the bottom of the Christmas food
chain, with no help from the outside world. The origin of
outsourcing wrapped in an inordinate amount of tinsel.
Now while the team spirit is absolutely critical, delegation is
also your best friend. So let's have a look at how you can make
yourself less of an elf and more of a Santa in both your personal
and professional lives.
In your personal life
- Ba Humbug and joy be with none... But do you really need to
source the perfect present for your neighbours friend's dog? Keep a
couple of generic presents wrapped in the house. If you receive an
unexpected gift you are free to reciprocate and if you don't, feel
free to spread Christmas cheer instead of the limits of your
budget.
- Consider sharing the load. You're not superman or woman and you
don't have to be. Could you have some help with the cleaning, the
lawns or the school drop off and still be awesome? Yes. Yes you
could.
- Stop buying clothes that need to be ironed every time you wash
them. Life is just too short.
In your professional life
- Team players, we adore you. But if you're consistently mocking
your own job description by trying to cram more things into it, you
need to reconsider what you're doing and why. Don't Elf yourself!
Let someone know you need help.
- Is credit due? Don't be afraid to be proud of your
accomplishments. There is a lot of literature about Santa and not
enough about elves. Start being proud of your success and other
people will join in.
- Are you an Elf with a plan? If you are still working your way
up the ladder (And most of us are in some way shape or form) make
sure you are achieving what is critical in your own role before you
look to make your move. The further up the ladder you climb the
more responsibility you have. Being lower on the food chain when
you have less experience is one of the greatest blessings you can
ask for. Who wants to be Santa on Christmas morning with a broken
down sleigh?
Stop Efling yourself! You're human. You can't do everything and
you can't do everything at once. Here at Stealth we hear your
plight. And this Christmas we are wishing you peace, quiet time and
a team of helpers with outfits as well coordinated as Santa's
elves. Because that's what you deserve.
Merry Christmas!