It’s December, and whatever your background, chances are you will be lavishing gifts on loved ones this month. This holiday season, however, you might consider giving the gift of leadership.

Leadership gifts don’t come in wrapping paper and an adhesive bow. They can’t be ordered online or shipped overnight. They are the quiet, deliberate practices that make people feel seen, valued, and empowered. The gold, frankincense and myrrh of leadership gifts are listening, growth and appreciation.

The Gift of Listening

Stevan Bernard, former CSO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, has long championed the power of presence. “Too often,” he says, “leaders prepare to respond rather than truly hear.” For him, listening is not passive. It’s active engagement. Be. Here. Now. Something as simple as restating and clarifying what’s been said at the end of a conversation not only shows you’ve paid attention but it also can reveal surprising insights.

That message resonates powerfully with Jakson Phillips, a security consultant in Venezuela who once led a humanitarian team in Colombia at the height of armed conflict. His colleagues were exposed daily to the emotional weight of stories shared by victims receiving mental health support.

“As a leader, I’ve made it a priority to listen,” Jakson recalls. “I listened to understand the emotional landscape, the operational challenges, and the deeper context of our work.” Listening became a way to connect, to share burdens, and to build resilience. “It was a gift I gave and received,” he says. “It shaped my leadership in ways no manual ever could.”

For Brian McIlravey, a VP at SwiftConnect in Ontario, Canada, the gift of listening didn’t come naturally. “The act of speaking comes easiest to most leaders,” he notes. “Most feel they need to immediately solve the problem themselves, to have the answer to every question posed at the table.”

Brian’s perspective shifted during the Inquiry Driven Leadership course at MIT with Hal Gregorson. “The most valuable lesson I’ve ever learned,” he says, “was to allow questions from anyone. And, most importantly, to listen intently to the answers to drive more catalytic questions.”

He remembers a pivotal team meeting in Seattle. The room turned to him for direction. Instead of dictating, he asked: “Let’s get one question from every person here about this issue.”

The conversation exploded with ideas, creating multiple solutions and paths forward. “I didn’t need to make the decision. I didn’t need to force my train down the track,” he recalled. “Influence, yes. Directional experience, required. Listening, mandatory.”

Years later, Brian began hearing from former colleagues who had become leaders themselves. “I’d follow you anywhere,” some told him. “The number one skill I teach new leaders,” one said, “is to listen, listen intently, and allow others to ask questions.”

The Gift of Growth

Bernard also speaks often about growth as a leadership journey. It’s about honesty, self-knowledge, agility, and the resilience to get back in the saddle after a fall. Ethics and work ethic, he says, are defining forces that either propel you forward or hold you back.

For Kasia Hanson, CEO and founder of KFactor Global, growth came through service. Early in her career at Intel, she struggled to find her niche in a sprawling organization. A mentor offered her a simple but powerful idea: the “day job/night job” model.

During the day, she focused on performing her core role well. At night (figuratively) she volunteered for projects outside her scope, stepping out of her comfort zone, meeting new people, and learning new skills.

“This volunteerism helped me expand my knowledge and build connections across the company,” she says. “It taught me that service fuels growth, both for ourselves and for those around us.”

The Gift of Appreciation

Appreciation, or recognition, is another leadership gift. Bernard often began performance appraisals by asking employees what they thought they accomplished before sharing his own observations. More often than not, he learned something he would have otherwise missed.

For Deb Andersen, security administrator at MWI Direct in Omaha, the most meaningful recognition has come not from plaques or certificates, but from a simple, daily ritual.

A retired Air Force Colonel she once worked for ended every day with two words: thank you. Even on days when she made a mistake, the message was the same. “It meant, ‘You’re human, let’s learn from this and move on,’” she recalls. “That simple ‘thank you’ made me feel appreciated, supported, and confident in my abilities.”

As we near 2026, ask yourself: “What leadership gift will I give my team?” An open ear, a stretch assignment, or a sincere thank you resonates far more than a stress ball or “World’s Greatest Employee” mug.