The Atheist and “Oh Holy Night”
One of the most leaderly things I experience is a hearty “Merry Christmas,” from friends who don’t celebrate Christmas.
An atheist and Christmas:
Placide Cappeau, author of the poem that became, “Oh Holy Night,” was an atheist and anti-cleric. But, he inspired a phrase that, as a Christian, sticks in my mind.
“Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
Worth:
When you appear, do people feel their worth?
Deadlines, pressure, problems, and deliverables distract you from what really matters – people.
Formula for making people feel their worth:
Make what matters to them matter to you, while fulfilling the mission.
How can leaders elevate what matters to others and lead at the same time?
Excellent! Truly, one must feel valued by leadership before they really follow. One must feel “worth something” before they really “do something”. Spoken word’s alone don’t cut it, actions must also speak. Thanks Dan for taking the actions of writing this blog and adding value to our lives. Many of us “feel our worth”, and are inspired to be more than we currently are, because you appear, and act. Thank You! 🙂
Thanks ChristMedia. “One must feel ‘worth something’ before they really ‘do something.'” … Golden!
It’s a pleasure to serve.
“Make what matters to them matter to you, while fulfilling the mission.” It speaks for itself – brilliant!
Merry Christmas Dan! I wish you the best of successess in 2015!
Thanks Redge. Merry Christmas to you, too.
Best wishes for 2015
Awesome!!! It’s NEVER about me…..
Thanks Erika. Now if we can just live it. 🙂
Merry Christmas, Dan.
And Happy New Year, Steven.
A short but powerful post. No matter your worldview, connecting with people in a real and meaningful way is a key ability for any leader. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ Dr John C Maxwell… To say that people are important is one thing, but to still maintain that balance when issues and deadlines are pressing in is the job of a leader.
Thanks Jay. You captured the tension. It’s when deadlines are pressing in that our behaviors matter most.
Dear Dan,
Merry Christmas Dan.
Leaders can elevate others by identifying and encouraging potential of others. They should create confidence in others about their potentials. Many times, people do not understand their potentials and leaders make them realize. Secondly, when leaders help others to develop confidence to their goals, they automatically become their leaders. And that is what leaders do- they initiate, and inspire others to lead others. This become leadership virtuous cycle.
Thanks Dr. Gupta. Happy New Year to you.
“create confidence in others about their potential.” KaPow!!
Most of your posts are my favorite, each one better than the last. This one is hands down my “favoritest” favorite. I think you’ve driven me to do something I never do; make a New Years resolution. I want to always contribute to people feeling their worth! Thank you Dan, and Merry Christmas.
Thanks Ken. and Happy New Year!!
Until this morning, I hadn’t thought of it in these terms. Glad it works for you. It works for me too.
What a great question, “. . . do people feel their worth?” Thanks for the powerful reminder, Dan, of who really matters; people.
Thanks Laurie. It’s easy to miss the most important things. I’m glad to be on the journey with you.
Thanks……Jesus was the ultimate leader who came to serve not be served. He focused on the needs of those he led. Dan thanks for your continued great insights. Merry Christmas!!
Thanks Lucy. And, Happy New Year.
…its always people 🙂
The leader model of Christmas is not power-CEO but “Shepherd” and they are “all about their sheep!”
Enjoy Christmas, thanks for your daily contributions to my thinking..
Thanks Ken. The Shepherd-king ideal is a powerful leadership metaphor that goes back to ancient cultures, both Biblical and nonBiblical. It certainly a powerful lens for us to see ourselves and others.
Thanks, Dan, for a powerful message so critically needed 365 days a year. (And periodically 366 days.)
Thanks Alan. Here’s to another year of growing on our leadership journey.
Thanks for the message this Christmas morning, Dan. This is my favorite Christmas song and your message brings an even deeper meaning and inspiration. God bless you for your selfless service to others.
Thanks Dan. It’s a pleasure to serve and learn along with you.
This sums up all other posts for me! Thanks Dan.
Thanks Leanna. I like the thought of walking into a room and making people feel their worth. What an opportunity and challenge. 🙂
Merry Christmas and thanks for the thoughtful content through the year.
Since I believe this sort of thing matters at this blog, I think you could have saved yourself an apostrophe in the ‘it’s’, btw.
Thanks Gary. Happy New Year and thanks for pointing out the apostrophe. Its fixed.
Merry Christmas Dan! This post provokes a lot of thought because it speaks to how I want to be more consistently. I’ve been around a handful of people that made me feel valued when I was in their presence. Interested, were old some young but all impacted my life in a big way.
So true! Merry Christmas!
Dan: Being an atheist who loves “O Holy Night” (though, admittedly, the music more than the words), and it is my favorite Christmas carol to sing, I was compelled to read more after seeing my email notification.
I don’t want to detract from your core point but think it’s worth pointing out that the phrase “’til he appeared and the soul felt its worth” was not written by Cappeau but by John Dwight Sullivan, a Unitarian minister and transcendentalist, who translated Cappeau’s poem from French into English. (Interestingly, despite his ordination, the ministry proved not to be Sullivan’s calling; music did. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sullivan_Dwight
Warmest seasons’ greetings to you and yours. Lynn
Thanks Lynn. No detraction at all. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
I chose to write that Cappeau “inspired” these words for this very reason.
Happy New Year
🙂
thanks Dan, very insightful. Thank you for making my year that much brighter and valued.
Richard
I think this is my all time favorite post of yours. I’ve been meditating on it, as the simple wording resonates deeply with me. The incredible power of being able to really live this one thing. Thank you for all your posts and this one especially. 🙂
Uhhh . . . the original poem was written by Placide Cappeau and in French. The phrase you like was written by the writer of the English text, John Sullivan Dwight, which has some relationship to the original French, but is much inferior.
I have not been able to verify that Cappeau was an atheist. French Wikipedia says he was socialist, republican, and anti-clerical.
Thanks Xenophanes. Your point regarding the origin of the poem is correct. You’ll note that I wrote that Cappeau “inspired” a phrase. I didn’t say it was his. Whether the original or the English is inferior isn’t my concern.
The source I used for atheism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Holy_Night
I appreciate you dropping in.
See my comment above from Dec. 26 last year. 🙂