Santa Claus’s Christmas interview
A wonderful surprise on December 24: despite his busiest time of the year, Santa Claus agreed to be our guest on the last podcast of 2022. In the 10 minutes of his interview I asked him:
About Santa and Sustainability
I’m a huge proponent of clean energy. I have to be, look at where we live, right up at the North Pole and having magical reindeer, that helps to be able to fly everywhere with reindeer power. But, you know, that does only work on Christmas Eve. The rest of the year I take conventional transportation and I do try to make ecologically sound choices for sure.
About All the Cookies he gets from
I do love the outpouring that people give, the gifts that they leave for me, that’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. And I’ll tell you what I’ve done for the last seven weeks, getting ready for the big season, I’ve been doing intermittent fasting. I don’t know if anybody’s heard about that, but I’m eating 8 hours and then I’m taking 16 hours and I’m not eating at all.
About how Santa builds trust
Being reliable definitely helps build trust, and I’ve been reliable for a lot of years, but I do think there’s a bit more to it than that. Over the years, people have also learned that I have good judgment. I don’t always deliver people exactly what they ask for. Sometimes I read between the lines, I look a little deeper and they usually find out that, hey, this isn’t exactly what I asked for, but I even like it better than what I asked for. So I think part of it is being reliable. Part of it is having good judgment. But it’s allowed me to build a lot of trust over the years, I think.
About children who are not as lucky
I’ll tell you, that is a real concern. Fortunately, people are so amazing. All over the world, we have not-for-profit organizations or organizations that are dedicated to helping people. The biggest one in the world is United Way Worldwide. They bring in over $5 billion to help needy families and deserving families worldwide. And there are so many other St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the United States and many others. They bring in billions of dollars. So I do what I can. But fortunately we have a lot of Santa’s helpers around the world, making the world a little bit of a better place, for sure.
Read the transcript of the interview with Santa Claus
Transcript-interview-Santa-ClausListen to what Santa Claus wishes us all for 2023
Trust is the invisible force that shapes our world, and at TrustTalk, we’re committed to exploring its many dimensions. Join us as we engage with thought leaders from all walks of life to discuss the role of trust in every aspect of our world. From personal relationships to business, technology, society, and beyond, we explore the wonders of this essential human emotion. It’s a journey you won’t want to miss.
Our guest today is Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen, former Chairman of the Executive Board of Aon Holdings B.V. and member of SER Topvrouwen. She tells about her journey to her current position and her interest in supporting and encouraging women in leadership roles. She emphasizes the importance of trust in her career success and the success of the organizations she has led. Trust is particularly significant in the insurance industry, where she started her career, as it is based on the principle of ultimate good faith. Marguerite explains that building trust involves logic, empathy, and authenticity. She believes that trust is crucial in relationships and leadership and highlights the role of trust in women’s leadership.
The interview also discusses a study that suggests women are less prone to losing trust and more likely to regain trust even after repeated transgressions. Marguerite attributes this to women’s optimism and relationship-driven nature. However, she notes that personal experiences and the frequency of trust violations can influence individual responses.
When it comes to balancing trust and empathy with making sound business decisions, Marguerite mentions the importance of trust but verify approach. She emphasizes the need to gather all relevant information, maintain competence and confidence, and have realistic self-awareness. Building trust with underrepresented groups requires leaders to foster an inclusive and belonging culture. In her former role at Aon Holdings, trust is vital in providing risk and insurance solutions to clients. We talk about a recent report on sexually transgressive behavior in a TV show and the importance of independent and unbiased investigations to maintain trust. She offers advice to young women aspiring to leadership roles in underrepresented industries, the importance of continuous learning, asking questions, making oneself visible, and believing in oneself.
