I  recently saw Dreamworks Rise of the Guardians with my son, a holiday film about good versus evil and how belief can triumph over fear and be a powerful motivator.\n\nIn one scene Santa Claus tries to convince Jack Frost that he should join the Guardians. Unsure of himself and his place among them, Jack resists.   Santa uses a set of Russian stacking dolls to reveal Santa’s  many layers until he final reaches smallest doll in the center.  He tells Jack that at his center,  Santa  is “wonder.”  The doll has big eyes through which Santa sees the magic and wonder around him.  He then asks Jack, “What is your center?” Jack doesn’t know, but he realizes this is a question he must answer. I won’t spoil the movie, except to say that by the end Jack discovers who he is at his core.\n\nThis is a question each of us must answer as well.  What is your center? What unique characteristic defines you and guides how you live your life?   What value do you hold as most central to your being?\n\nIn coaching leaders, I find that those leaders that understand who they are at their core and what they value most are more effective and happier too.  When faced with a difficult decision, they have a compass to guide them.  For the new year why not commit to better understanding your “center” and how it can serve you and those around you.