The Leader’s 12 Days of Christmas

Christmas is almost here. And while you likely won’t go all “12 Days of Christmas” on your team (what would they do with turtle doves anyway?), you might be thinking about what you could give them this holiday season. I have some ideas for you that require no ribbon or bows, no hustle or bustle, and no searching for free shipping. Instead, this is a list of leadership gifts. These are choices you can make that will be gifts that give to your team all year long. Even better, these are gifts that will benefit you and your organization too.

After writing this post, I wrote a short post about each of these twelve gifts In each I describe one of these gifts in more detail, like a well defined and described product description you might find in a catalog. This will help you decide which will be the perfect leadership gift for you to give this Christmas – or anytime of the year.

Your Shopping List

Here are twelve leadership gift giving choices

• Choose (and Share) Your Values
• Choose (and Share) Your Vision
• Choose (and See) Possibilities
• Share Your Belief
• Expect The Best
• Be a Learner
• Choose to Ask
• Choose to Listen
• Choose to Coach
• Choose to be Accountable
• Give of Yourself
• Live Your Values

With even a little reflection, you can see how giving these leadership gifts could be appreciated and valued by your team members. Perhaps, like a quick TV commercial, you already know which one to give. But like those 60 second ads, you might not have enough information yet to make an informed decision before making your selection.

So while this post is like a shopping list – a list of 12 leadership gifts you could give, it may not be enough. You will still need to decide which ones to give, and perhaps to whom. Take time to think about which will be the best or most valuable for each of your team members.

The best news about this shopping list of leadership gifts is that regardless which one you pick, several good things will follow:

• Your team will love and cherish the gift for a long time.
• Your organization will benefit from this gift giving.
• Like many gifts, you may get more from giving it than those who receive it will gain.

Most of us strive to find “just the perfect gift” – and most would define that as a gift that people remember and value long into the future. Selecting carefully from this leadership shopping list could allow you to give just such a gift this Christmas.