Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajiving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellovledo.
Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 1: It's episode five point fifty five. Today we're stepping into
Speaker 1: a Christmas classic that every leader knows, but few leaders
Speaker 1: study in the right way. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge
Speaker 1: is more than a holiday tale. It's a full masterclass
Speaker 1: in transformation, accountability, emotional intelligence, and the courage to change
Speaker 1: the ending of your own leadership story. So settle in
Speaker 1: because this one is fun, a little nostalgic, and packed
Speaker 1: with things you can use the moment this episode ends.
Speaker 1: Picture Scrooge at the start of the story. He is respected,
Speaker 1: but not admired. He is efficient but not trusted. He
Speaker 1: is surrounded by people but deeply disconnected. There are hundreds
Speaker 1: of Scrooges in workplaces everywhere, and some of them sit
Speaker 1: in leadership offices. The power of this story is that
Speaker 1: you get to see what most leaders never get, a
Speaker 1: clear look at how your past behavior shaped your culture,
Speaker 1: how your present behavior affects your team, and how your
Speaker 1: future behavior determines whether people celebrate your leadership or quietly
Speaker 1: hope you retire early. Now, imagine your own leadership being
Speaker 1: visited by those same three spirits. The ghost of leadership
Speaker 1: passed shows you the moments you would rather skip, the
Speaker 1: times you spoke too sharply, the days you dismissed new
Speaker 1: ideas because you were tired, The times you didn't slow
Speaker 1: down enough to hear the weight behind someone's words. Scrooge
Speaker 1: gets a front row seat to the moments that shaped
Speaker 1: how people view him. Leaders rarely take the time to
Speaker 1: do this kind of reflection, So during this season, take
Speaker 1: ten minutes in replay your year. Identify one moment you
Speaker 1: know that you mishandled. Don't get stuck there. Identify it
Speaker 1: so you can correct it. Then the ghost of leadership
Speaker 1: present steps forward. It shows you the ripple effect of
Speaker 1: your actions right now. In the story, Scrooge sees his
Speaker 1: employee Bob Cratchett, struggling while still trying to give his
Speaker 1: family a meaningful Christmas. Leaders today have people on their
Speaker 1: teams who are fighting battles that they don't talk about.
Speaker 1: Your tone, your presence, and your attitude shape their day
Speaker 1: more than you realize. Ask yourself a question Scrooge never asked,
Speaker 1: How do people feel after they interact with you? Lift
Speaker 1: it up, weighed down or neutral? If you do this honestly,
Speaker 1: you will see a few places where a small change
Speaker 1: would make a big difference. And finally, the ghost of
Speaker 1: leadership yet to come arrives. This part of the story
Speaker 1: has always been the real wake up call. Scrooge gets
Speaker 1: a view of what his life looks like if nothing changes.
Speaker 1: Leaders rarely get this ghostly preview. There's a version of
Speaker 1: the future where your people are loyal, energized, and proud
Speaker 1: to be connected to your name. There is another version
Speaker 1: where they simply move on because they felt unseen, unheard,
Speaker 1: or unvalued. Every day you choose which version you were writing.
Speaker 1: Here is what makes this story so powerful. Scrooge does
Speaker 1: not debate, delay, or defend. He wakes up and decides
Speaker 1: to change the ending. That is the part leaders should study.
Speaker 1: Change can happen, asked when the motivation is real. If
Speaker 1: you want to apply his transformation in your leadership this week,
Speaker 1: here are a few Christmas themed moves that actually work.
Speaker 1: Write one handwritten note to someone on your team before Christmas.
Speaker 1: One sentence is enough, thank them for a moment they
Speaker 1: thought you didn't notice. They will remember that longer than
Speaker 1: any email that you've ever sent them. Do one thing
Speaker 1: that removes pressure from someone else. Scrooge bought a turkey
Speaker 1: for the Cratchet family. You can take a task off
Speaker 1: someone's plate, approve a request, or give someone time back
Speaker 1: in their day. Plan one improvement for yourself before January.
Speaker 1: Scrooge didn't need a New Year's resolution. He picked a
Speaker 1: better path and followed it immediately, and you can too,
Speaker 1: and then make the upcoming year one simple theme. Be
Speaker 1: the leader people are grateful for, not the leader that
Speaker 1: they endure. This time of year always brings a mix
Speaker 1: of joy, stress, reflection, and hope. Let this story be
Speaker 1: your reset point. You do not need ghosts to show
Speaker 1: you the past, present, or future. You only need a
Speaker 1: willingness to be honest about where you have been in
Speaker 1: bold about where you want to go. If Scrooge can
Speaker 1: change in one night, you can change in one decision.
Speaker 1: Your team will feel it, your culture will shift in
Speaker 1: your leadership legacy will look a lot different a year
Speaker 1: from now. So as you wrap up this episode, take
Speaker 1: one quiet moment today to ask yourself what your ghost
Speaker 1: of leadership yet to come would show you if you
Speaker 1: do not like that future, you absolutely have the power
Speaker 1: to rewrite it starting tonight. So make this season the
Speaker 1: turning point you talk about years from now. This has
Speaker 1: been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, and as always, I
Speaker 1: thank you for listening. For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts,
Speaker 1: visit paulfellowalito dot com.