How to light the way whatever the elements throw at you

It must be a tough gig when you’re the youngest of nine. And it must be hard not to think you were a bit of an afterthought when your siblings all have names – like Dasher and Comet – that fly into the imagination, while yours doesn’t sound like it could get even the spark of an idea off the ground. If only you had something that differentiated you from the herd...

Santa has complicated job. Not even Bezos could marshal a value chain that delivers a billion parcels to a schedule where ‘same day delivery’ means everything’s delivered on the same day. It’s complicated in the way that General Stanley McChrystal describes it in Team of Teams, i.e. 'however many moving parts and inter-dependencies it has, delivering pressies is entirely predictable. And that means all you need to do is learn the rules and acquire the skills to apply the rules, and off you go'. Which is exactly what Santa and his reindeer did, year in, year out until one Christmas Eve when things turned from complicated to complex. The unpredictability of the weather halted them in their air-tracks as the fog rolled in.

Having the ability to pull a sleigh into the sky is right up there with having the talent of Taylor Swift. But as soon as the weather changed, all the magic of Santa’s navigation skills and the aero-abilities of his reindeer were rendered useless. The whole Santa-sleigh-flying-reindeer package looked breathtaking, with a reliability record going back a couple of thousand years. But its brittleness was exposed the moment the fog enveloped them - until Rudolph with his nose so bright guided the sleigh that night.

So next year, don’t just wish to be a flying reindeer, wish to be one that can carry on flying whatever the elements throw at you. It’s why Rudolph actually isn’t an ordinary name at all. For example, Rudolphs invented the diesel engine, an entire education system, and became the best male ballet dancer in the world (take that, Dancer!).

Season's Greetings everyone, and a prosperous, if unpredictable, New Year!

Rich Alderton is an Adaptability Intelligence specialist, so why not call us on 07873 823 800, email us or complete our enquiry form to find out more?

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