Dear , (Almost) Merry Christmas and welcome to this brief festive
edition of "To Be Clear..." - a refreshing sip of Christmas coaching clarity and good cheer in your inbox!
As promised, this short bonus Christmas issue is just a chance to wish you a Merry Christmas and to say thank you. And, having had a couple of new editions in the last month (after a hiatus), don't worry, once we get into the new year, we'll resume normal rhythms of an issue every couple of weeks!
As Christmas approaches, Christians all over the world will be pausing where they can to rest and rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ, and many who don't follow him will still enjoy the blessing of a small break. One of the great joys of Jesus' birth in the Bible was that it was not a surprise - it was long promised by God through a string of prophets in the centuries before. Seven hundred years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, one such man, named Micah, from a town about 22 miles south west of Jerusalem, wrote these words which he insisted were inspired by God. They are found in the Bible today and have been read at thousands of Christmas carol services in the last couple of weeks and hundreds of thousands through the centuries: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Even though it had been the birthplace of King David, Israel's greatest king, c.600 years before, first century Bethlehem was nowhere to write home about. Insignificant even its local region (Judah), Bethlehem would probably have warranted a tiny mention in any contemporary
guidebook. But, Micah, seven hundred years before Jesus's birth, asserts that, from Bethlehem, this “small, backwoods, podunk* town”, God is going to do something massive, something that will change history and the world forever. He is going bring to birth the greatest King that Israel - and the world - will ever see - Jesus Christ or, if you are going to translate his name and
title in full, God-who-rescues ("Jesus") Promised-King ("Christ").**
OK, Ranti, I hear you say, we know it's Christmas and everything but enough with the sermon from an obscure prophet, what does this have to do with me? Well, as I wish you a joyous Christmas break, I hope you are able to look back over the year at work (and beyond) and appreciate the things which looked small and insignificant at the time but, which with the clarity which time brings, grew to be significant in wonderful positive ways.
Perhaps a small conversation which turned into an important collaboration, an inkling of an idea which grew into a new project or product, a quick coffee which led to a new role, a seemingly tiny decision or resolution which made all the difference when an unexpected challenge or opportunity arose. Following on from the value
of finding your fruit at work, this is about identifying the small seeds from which the fruit of your labours has
grown. For me, a small experiment this time last year - turning the Outcome layer of ONION® into an onboarding tool using AI - has turned into a whole new business with my brilliant tech partner and a promising new product - Digital ONION® - which we are now developing and which has already made a practical difference to the lives and thinking
of our pilot users. For my clients - individual, team and organisational - seemingly small things this past year have turned into new roles, new businesses, new starts, new ways of integrating work in their wider life - big results and new
opportunities. Who knows what small seeds from this year and
the beginning of next, you'll be looking back on in 12 months time, amazed and grateful for what grew from them? Whatever your faith, belief or hope this Christmas, whatever your situation at work, whatever your state of mind and heart, I hope you enjoy some sort of break
over Christmas - the opportunity to rest, spend good time with others and to eat and drink well! Most of all, wherever you spend your Christmas and New Year, I hope that each one of you, can celebrate the small things as well as the big. Who knows what will come of
them? Next up, a bigger thank you even than usual.
What has never been small or seemed small to me, is your support as readers of "To Be Clear...". Even during the hiatus while I was getting Digital ONION® off the ground, you have kept in touch, kept me honest and encouraged me to keep sharing coaching clarity, insights and ideas.
I look forward to hearing more from you and sharing more with you in 2026 but, in the meantime, a huge thank you for reading, responding to and applying "To Be Clear..." over the last year. I'm very grateful for every single one of you.
There you have it, in the annual Christmas "To Be Clear..." tradition, as we approach Christmas Eve, clarity on the big things
which have grown from small beginnings at work and big thanks from me. I'll be in touch in the new year to share more ideas for greater clarity at work. In the meantime, wishing you a wonderful, joyful, restful Christmas -
clarity, gratitude and grace over the break and a great start to 2026. Happy Christmas and see you next year! As ever, Ranti * - My American readers know what I mean! ** - The shorter version is definitely less of a mouthful... Image of road: Caleb Chan on Unsplash Image of Christmas tree: Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash
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