Giving and receiving gifts can be tricky. It's supposed to be about expressing genuine gratitude for relationships but, in practice, cultural expectations and taboos tend to condition everything. Ask yourself how many gifts you will be giving (or not giving) this year that are a true reflection of how you feel about people. As this year draws to a close, consider including a gift to colleagues that costs next to nothing and crosses no boundaries. Help each person to realize that they are part of something that matters. Through a simple conversation remind him or her that, despite all the day-to-day activity and worries, he or she has been making a difference, that you can see it, and that you are grateful. It's not a performance evaluation, it's not wrapped in a bow, it's simply the gift of reconnecting someone to his or her greater purpose. The calm, confident, connected feeling produced says so much about the spiritually driven leader that is you.

Stephen

Calm, Confident, Connected
Growing, Grounded, Grateful

December 13, 2010