As Christmas catapults crazily towards us we may want to put the brakes on, take a few moments out to reflect on what it all means to us in our work, our lives and in our role as a leader.
Christmas is about celebration and giving. Genuine giving is giving of yourself; it doesn’t have to cost anything. Genuine giving comes from the heart, a special gift that will touch the heart of a person, 
sometimes someone you know and care about and sometimes a stranger. Nowadays with the gifts you can give through organisations like Save the Children Fund or World Vision you can give a gift to a person special to you and at the same time it can be a gift to a stranger. Genuine giving is done without expectation of anything in return.
Unfortunately giving has been captured by commercial interests, who cleverly have put the “gift” before giving, as they urge us on to ever more “gift giving” (read as spending more money, preferably at their store). We often “buy -in” literally to the hype and feel overwhelmed and pressured to give gifts to all and to spend more than what we can afford. This takes away from the real sense of giving. In our everyday lives giving is more than gifts. Giving is about service. We can give of ourselves and this can be the easiest gift of all.
In our work situations we give service. When we feel a passion for what we do and truly believe that what we do contributes and makes a difference then we give service easily without expectation. Yes acknowledgement is great and we thrive on it, but in these situations we don’t need it.
As leaders our role is to find that passion within the person so they can give and contribute, so that they can feel part of the purpose whether it is within an organisation, a team or a community. The leader’s service, their gift to others, is to provide the opportunity for the person to grow and to develop. The leader’s role is to ensure the person knows the purpose, knows what they are working to achieve, and knows that their contribution makes a difference.
Merry Christmas everyone, have a great time with family and friends.