Silent Night, Holy Night is one of my all time favorite Christmas Carols. It brings back many positive memories of one of the most special times of the year for me in spending time with my family worshiping on the eve of the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus.
The song reminds us about the silence in which the “wondrous gift was given to us” in the humble setting of rural Bethlehem. I love that Jesus, the ultimate model of servant leadership, arrived in this world teaching us lessons on leadership from day 1.
This song talks about the silence and calm of things when Jesus was born and the peace that follows. You can feel the calm as Jesus entered this world in the most humble of ways, without any fanfare or pomp and circumstance. The humility that he showed upon his birth into this world continued to be evident throughout his life and is a great model for servant leadership in and of itself.
But the shear silence and calm of the event provides lessons as well. It is important for leaders to get comfortable with silence because when used properly, it can help build relationships as well as trust.
For leaders silence is:
- The source of acknowledgement
- The presence of appreciation
- The genesis of connecting one with another
Too often as leaders we feel the need to fill space with conversation, and often times lead with our ideas, as opposed to allowing for initial calm and curiosity, which promotes learning.
This coming week as we connect with the silence of the moment in anticipation of the Christ Child, I challenge you to lead with silence and calm as well. Start with silence and listen to understand, so that others will be encouraged to share with you. Suspend judgment and just listen! It is one of the best gifts that a servant leader can provide.
As you reflect in silence this week on the gift of the season, I wish you all peace, joy and a Blessed Christmas with your family and friends!
Mark