If 2023 arrived on our doorstep in a box with a bow, would we even open it? Bob Rozek, our CFO, told me a story that brought this to life in an uncanny way. When he was ten, Bob loved hockey. All he wanted for Christmas was a pair of real hockey gloves. But on Christmas morning, when he opened the biggest box first, he was surprised to read âmenâs galoshesâ on the cover. Disappointed, he set that box aside and didnât think any more about it as he opened a couple more presents. Months later, his aunt called to ask, âHey, how did those gloves work out?â At first, Bob had no idea what she was talking about. Then it dawned on him, and he started digging in the back of a closet for that galoshes box. As he started to open it, he teared up. Inside were those brand-new glovesâexactly what heâd wanted all along. But he hadnât opened the box, and now his hockey season was over. Of course, we donât have the option of holding out for better or different times. No doubt, the last 12 months brought a mixed bagâfrom wa [Black Korn Ferry logo JPG 400.png]() If 2023 arrived on our doorstep in a box with a bow, would we even open it? Bob Rozek, our CFO, told me a story that brought this to life in an uncanny way. When he was ten, Bob loved hockey. All he wanted for Christmas was a pair of real hockey gloves. But on Christmas morning, when he opened the biggest box first, he was surprised to read âmenâs galoshesâ on the cover. Disappointed, he set that box aside and didnât think any more about it as he opened a couple more presents. Months later, his aunt called to ask, âHey, how did those gloves work out?â At first, Bob had no idea what she was talking about. Then it dawned on him, and he started digging in the back of a closet for that galoshes box. As he started to open it, he teared up. Inside were those brand-new glovesâexactly what heâd wanted all along. But he hadnât opened the box, and now his hockey season was over. Of course, we donât have the option of holding out for better or different times. No doubt, the last 12 months brought a mixed bagâfrom war to an uneven economic environment. Not to mention unsettling personal experiences. But these are the times we all shareâthe good, the bad, and all the formative learning experiences in between. In the midst of it all, we can discover the real gifts. We find them in precious moments with the people around us â and that extraordinary wisdom we often find in the most ordinary of places. Within this mosaic echoes an iconic song of the season. Weâll leave it to the historians to sort out the details, but one account of it begins in a small village in Austria and a poem entitled âStille Nachtâ that was set to music to be performed for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1818. But flooding had damaged the organ, which could have silenced the whole performance. Then someone picked up a guitar, and âStille Nachtââbetter known to us today as âSilent Nightââfilled the air. Think about it, a humble, stringed instrument, nearly overlooked as inappropriate for the solemnity of the occasion, changed the musical history of the season. Itâs a lesson for all of us as we wrap up another year and take inventory of who we are and who we want to become â what we have overlooked and who needs our appreciation. As Albert Einstein famously wrote on his chalkboard the favorite quote he had taken to heart: âNot everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts.â Or as others have said, âWhat is unseen has just as much value as what is seen.â Because hereâs the thing, itâs never about the title, the role or even what we aspire to. Itâs all about recognizing the unseen gifts of others. So what might we find inside the box weâve failed to see? Is it kindness and compassion ⦠empathy and generosity ⦠believing and belonging? Perhaps the real question is, as leaders, what would we put in the box for others to open in 2024. Regards, Gary Burnison
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