Rudolph the Empowered Reindeer

One of my all-time favorite Christmas carols is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Having said this, I feel compelled to let you in on a little known secret about Rudolph.  Most people don’t realize that for many years he was an ineffective leader who had a tendency to whine and complain about his red nose.  While Santa continues to get full credit for Rudolph’s transformation, I’m proud to say that he is a two-time participant in my Lenses of Leadership program.  Below is the never-before-seen (or heard) graduation song that I wrote for him.  Enjoy!

Rudolph the whiney reindeer,
had a bad attitude.
And if you ever saw him,
you would probably say he’s rude.

All of the other reindeer
wondered what would make him change.
They knew the Lenses of Leadership,
and worried that he had been shortchanged.

Then one sunny Monday morn,
Mike Sissel came to say,
“Rudolph I’ve got news for you,
I’d like to help you be an effective leader in school.”

Then Rudolph began to transform,
his attitude had changed suddenly.
Now Rudolph’s an empowered reindeer,
who will influence other reindeer positively.