Inclusive Leadership in December: How to Be Aware, Human & Not an Accidental A**hle at Work This Holiday Season

December brings out the best in some people… and the absolute “please stop emailing me” energy in others.

Workloads spike. Emotions rise. Schedules get weird. People are juggling grief, joy, pressure, expectations, cultural traditions, family dynamics, and burnout — sometimes all before lunch.

For leaders, this month isn’t about being festive.
It’s about being aware.

And if you want to avoid unintentionally creating exclusion, resentment, or chaos in a season that’s already emotionally loaded, then grab your peppermint latte (or your emotional support Stanley) and settle in.

This guide uses your own CCI Cultural Competencies™ to help leaders build belonging and JOY — without the performative corporate cheer.
Because nothing says “I don’t understand people” like forcing a secret Santa on a team that’s exhausted and broke.

Let’s do December better.

1. Not Everyone Celebrates the Same Holidays — Or Wants To
(CCI Competencies: Community, Caring, Connection)

Schools have understood this for decades.
Workplaces? Still catching up.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas.
Not everyone celebrates anything at all.
And some are navigating complicated cultural or religious dynamics.

Leadership Move:

• Ask, don’t assume.
• Offer options.
• Don’t make participation feel like a performance review.

Belonging is an invitation, not an expectation.

2. Mandatory Fun Is Not Fun
(CCI Competencies: Camaraderie, Caring)

Look. Adults do not need:

• forced swapping of $25 Starbucks gift cards
• “reindeer games” in the breakroom
• mandatory happy hours
• ugly sweater contests that require shopping

Manufactured joy drains emotional capital.
Real joy builds it.

Try This Instead:
Create optional experiences, low-pressure gratitude rituals, or micro-moments of delight.

Think “Choose Your Own Festivity” instead of “All aboard the Polar Express or you hate teamwork.”

3. December Stress Is Real — and Silent
(CCI Competencies: Caring, Consistency)

Teachers know December behavior spikes.
Adults are the same — we just hide it behind Outlook calendars and polite Slack emojis.

People may be navigating:

• financial hardship

• grief or loneliness

• family stress

• holiday triggers

• mental health strain

• burnout

Leadership Move:
Give grace where possible.
Lower non-essential pressure.
Push fewer new initiatives.
Ask, “What would make this easier for you?”

Support makes people stay.
Pressure makes people look for other jobs… in January.

4. Communicate More Clearly (and More Often)
(CCI Competencies: Communication)

Holiday chaos thrives in ambiguity.

Schedules shift.
Coverage changes.
Workloads intensify.

And employees start asking the dreaded December question:
“What exactly is expected of me right now?”

Leadership Move:

• Send one December “Source of Truth” update.

• Repeat information more than you think you need to.

• Ask “What questions do you still have?”

Clarity is kindness.
Confusion is costly.

5. Rethink the Booze-Centered Party Culture
(CCI Competencies: Caring, Community)

Alcohol is not neutral.
For some, it’s fine.
For others, it’s a trigger, a risk, or simply not part of their culture.

Leadership Move:

• Add mocktails.

• Make gatherings optional.

• Host daytime events.

• Avoid centering alcohol as “team bonding.”

Belonging matters more than bubbly.

6. Appreciation Should Be a Practice, Not a Performance
(CCI Competencies: Celebration)

In my classroom, we celebrated the tiny things - the effort, not just the achievement.

Workplaces often hoard appreciation for Q4…
and then wonder why people are quitting in Q1.

Leadership Move:

• Give small, specific gratitude often.

• Build a WINS Wall (virtual or physical).

• Recognize effort before results.

Joy is cumulative.
Deposits count.

7. Protect PTO Like It’s Sacred
(CCI Competencies: Consistency, Caring)

Teachers protect recess.
Leaders must protect PTO.

Few things destroy trust faster than:

• contacting people on vacation

• adding last-minute requests

• guilt-tripping time off

Leadership Move:
Honor boundaries.
Model healthy time away.
Make rest a norm, not a negotiation.

8. Give the Gift of Realistic Expectations
(CCI Competencies: Communication, Capability)

December is NOT the month to go full “new strategic plan.”

Set expectations that reflect:

• human capacity

• holidays

• PTO

• burnout levels

High pressure in December almost always equals high turnover in January.

9. Build Belonging, Don’t Assign It
(CCI Competencies: Connection, Camaraderie, Caring)

You cannot force people to be festive.

You can build space where they feel safe:

• to join in

• to opt out

• to be themselves

• to not pretend

Belonging is built when leaders create psychological safety, not performance expectations.

Create JOY on Purpose, Not by Accident
(CCI Competencies: Celebration, Community, Core Values)

Joy is strategic.
Joy is a KPI.
Joy is emotional capital — and December is where it either grows or collapses.

Great leaders don’t manufacture cheer.
They create environments where joy can actually thrive.

Final Word: If Inclusion Feels Hard, Your Culture Needs Work

Using the CCI Method™ Cultural Competencies isn’t “holiday fluff.”

It’s leadership.

And the truth is simple:
People remember how their workplace made them feel in December.
It sets the tone for the entire next year.

You can lead with pressure…
or you can lead with presence, awareness, clarity, and humanity.

One builds loyalty.
The other builds turnover.

Choose wisely.

Ready to Build a #JOYFullWorkplace — All Year Long?

If you read this and thought,
“Damn, this is exactly what we need,”
you’re in the right place.

The CCI Method™ helps leaders measure culture, close gaps, and build human-centered workplaces where people actually want to stay.

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Because joy isn’t fluff.
It’s strategy.