Ten Gifts Great Leaders Give

I’ve worked with great leaders, mediocre leaders and one or two really poor leaders. I’ve done my work, to the best of my ability, with all of them. I’ve learned from all of them. Yet in reflecting back, the really great leaders gave me many great gifts.

These are gifts that last over time. They are not very tangible, but are always present. They’re gifts that altered the way I saw myself, or my situation, or the world around me – gifts that stuck, that keep on giving.

I am eternally blessed by and grateful for these gifts:

1. Confidence in my abilities, my potential, my judgement and my integrity
2. Wisdom by sharing freely their truths, experiences and knowledge
3. Mentoring & coaching to guide me to a better place, always challenging, at times seeing more in me than I could see myself
4. Opportunities to test my skills and to learn new ones, ones that pushed me further than I was comfortable with at the time
5. Support for when I failed myself or others
6. Unconditional Respect even at my worst times
7. Perspective & Vision, especially when I wallowed in my narrow view of the situation
8. Courage to do the things that are right, but not necessarily easy
9. Focus on Results insisting that I follow through, do what I was charged to do and to find ways to overcome the inevitable obstacles
10. Navigation through the organization, helping me learn how these people in this place get work done

My challenge to each reader is this: rather than giving “things” this year, which of these ten gifts might you give at work? At home?  In your community?