I went to the Alabama Theater this week to see the holiday classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."  What a gorgeous theater!  It was built in 1927 and has been restored to its original glory.  It is a true Birmingham treasure, but more about that in a future blog.

All of us know the story.  George Bailey does not realize what a great life he has until he gets to experience what life would be like if he had never been born.

Something different in the movie clicks with me each year, and this year it was the inscription by Clarence the Angel in the book he leaves for George...

"Remember - no man is a failure who has friends."

This stuck with me as I have been on-site with a local fire department this week facilitating classes on leadership and management skills.  We discussed everything from fairness to consistency to chain of command to leadership development.

But what really stuck with me is that time after time, in session after session, there was a huge importance placed on "friendship" in the fire stations.

These guys are with each other 24 hours in a shift, and while they may not always get along, they always have each others back.  It is a second family for them.

It was easy to see that the employees that were more productive, more positive, and more engaged about their work were those who really liked the guys that they worked with.

They are not alone.  The Gallup Organization consistently shares data that employees who claim to have a friend at work are happier, have a higher trust factor, and have less "leaving moments" - i.e. they spend less time thinking about transferring out.

As a leader, you may not be able to make sure that everyone has friends in their department or on their shift.  However, you can help to create an environment that allows friendships to be cultivated.

This holiday season, make an effort to at least be "friendly" to all your employees.  You never know the impact you can have until you try...