I just returned from a leadership recognition ceremony where the guest speaker was Gene Hallman. For those of you who do not know, Gene is the President/CEO of Bruno Event Team. He is responsible for the Regions Charity Golf Classic, the SEC Baseball Tournament, and the Magic City Classic to name a few. He is also part of the team trying to bring more sports/convention business to Birmingham. For more, visit www.brunoeventteam.com

I invited Gene to speak to our group about leadership. He did a great job, sharing stories about SEC coaches, and sharing lots of John Wooden's philosophies with the audience. Then he said something that was so simple, it may have gone in one ear and out the other if you weren't paying attention.

“Does your day have any Christmas in it?”

I have never heard that before, so I listened to his explanation, and then pondered that statement all the way home.

“Does your day have any Christmas in it?”

His background for the statement was simple, yet challenging. He believes that as a leader, it is better to overwork your employees (just a little bit) than to underwork your employees.

His reason: People enjoy work when they feel challenged, feel tested, and are NOT watching the clock all day. 

Think about your childhood Decembers for a moment. Did it seem like Christmas Day (and in particular Christmas morning) just flew by? It took months and months to arrive, and it was over in a flash. 

If we were to relate this to the work environment, how many days are you working so hard, adding so much value, and having so much fun that you look up at the clock and say “I can’t believe how fast this day has gone”

That’s what Gene is talking about by making sure some of your days have a little “Christmas" in them. Work is fun when it flies by! So what can you do, as a leader, to make sure that your employees are not bored at work and restlessly counting down the minutes until they get to go home? Here are a few tips…

• Always make sure your employees are challenged. Those employees who could do their job with their eyes closed may need a bit of a push with regard to assignments and tasks. Give them challenging assignments that they can successfully complete.

• Create open lines of communication. Your employees need to know they can feel safe coming to you and letting you know that they have too much on their plate, or not enough on their plate, without the fear of retaliation.

• All work can be interesting, and all work can be dull. It’s the person and the attitude that makes the difference. If you have an employee who is a clock watcher because their work is boring, maybe they haven’t been told how their piece fits into the entire puzzle. Employees want to know that they are needed.

People dread coming to work if they thing the day is going to drag on and on and on. As a leader, I hope that you do all you can to make all your days become"Christmas days"

I'll see you out there –

Pete